 Gearl Reed is one of Word of
Life Fellowship’s most faithful members. He has been attending since the
main church was located in the Depot Youth building. Gearl would come to
church early on Sunday mornings and help Pastor Emigh sweep the parking
lot clear of any debris left from the weekend. Over twenty years ago Gearl
suffered a stroke and it was faith in God that got him through with some
miraculous results. Although the stroke affected his speech, it didn’t
affect his spirit or his determination. His faith in God is stronger today
than ever and God uses him through his testimony and his willingness to
pray. These attributes resulted in God using him to minister to a
friend.
One day, Gearl ran into
Earl and another friend. He and Earl had been friends for many years. In
their conversation, Earl told him that he had some serious problems with
his heart. He had a blood clot, which by itself was dangerous, but also
his heart was beating out of rhythm. The doctor could barely read his
pulse. He explained that the electrical shock procedure needed to correct
the heart rhythm could kill him because of the blood clot. So there was
really nothing the doctor could do. He then asked Gearl to pray for him
whenever he prayed. Gearl said, “Sure, I’ll pray for you now.” Before Earl
could respond, Gearl laid hands on him and began praying in tongues.
Afterwards, Earl could feel a difference, he wasn’t out of breath as
usual.
On his next doctor’s visit Earl’s
daughter, who was a nurse there, took his pulse and was surprised at how
strong it was. Then she checked his heart and said it seemed to be beating
in rhythm. The doctor observed the examination results and, because of the
unusual normal readings, decided Earl needed to see a specialist.
Subsequently, he was checked into the hospital. They did extensive testing
and afterwards, the cardiologist declared there was no blood clot and that
Earl’s heart looked perfect for a man his age!
Since then, Earl has shared how God
totally healed him with everyone and anyone. All Gearl did was take a step
of faith! Instead of just telling Earl that he would pray for him, he took
immediate action and laid hands on Earl. He wasn’t concerned about what
his friends would think of him when he prayed in tongues, neither did he
let his communication limitations become a barrier in prayer. Both his
friends would later tell Gearl that they felt the power of God that day
when he prayed. Gearl takes no credit for this miracle. He was just doing
what he was supposed to do, what Jesus would do. He gives God all the
praise for His wonderful healing power that saved his friend’s life. Let
this be an encouragement to each of us. We, too, can pray the prayer of
faith and see great things happen. Be ready to pray for the miraculous.
This is the year of glory!
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