10.27.06
A Testimony To The Power of Prayer
This is a note of thanks by Bay St. Louis, Mississippi minister Charlie Buckley. Contained within is a beautiful and powerful testimony to the awesome power of prayer. I love Charlie, and I wanted to share this as a tribute to God’s grace. john dobbs
I want to thank you all for the kind and compassionate words of encouragement and prayers concerning my darling wife. Olive was having problems with her heart rhythm, creating a tightness in her chest and making her feel like she was going to pass out. We went to the hospital on Monday afternoon and she was admitted. They ran a heart echo and a stress test on her. We got the results today and they let her come home. They stated that whenever this attack came on she would pass a pvc every two beats {Bigeminy}. They stated that there was no urgent danger as her heart was able to correct on its own. If the attacks come more frequent or last longer, she will have see the doctor again. They said that if it comes to it they feel that she can be treated with medication to keep it under control. We took this very serious as all of her grandparents, parents, a brother and numerous aunts and uncles all died with heart attacks or strokes.
I was talking with her this morning and asked her how does it feel to know that her name was carried before our Father by THOUSANDS OF BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST ACROSS THIS GREAT NATION?" With tears it her eyes, she could only say "great" We talked about James’ statement "…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." {James 5:16}. If the prayer of one righteous man avails…what about the prayer of so many of God’s precious children.
We are firm believers in prayer and have witnessed so many answered prayers. Our daughter was born when Olive had Toxemia, she had been literally packed in ice because her temperature was so high. The doctors tried to get us to abort Charlie Jr. due to complications; David our youngest was born with spinal meningitis and we were told that he would be a couch potato, never be able to play any sports or go to school. Amy is a successful business woman with a great husband and three children, Charlie excelled in sports in and out of school and has a job with NAVO at Stennis Space Center, David has excelled academically and athletically and is currently going to college with a soccer scholarship, just received a scholarship for Frisbee golf (?) and will try to walk on the baseball team next season. David is focusing his career on forensic science. All three of our children were recipients on many awards from there classmates and teachers and scholarships. I am in remission with an incurable kidney disease after being told I had no hope, and the latest prayers answered were for my loving wife.
It is with the utmost sincerity that I thank you for your going to our heavenly Father with me, my wife, our children and grand children in fervent prayer. Do I believe that it is by chance that we have been so blessed… no one in a million life times could come close to causing us to doubt the gracious, merciful power of prayer.