The Life Changing Power of Prayer

This man is aging but not old. He is an amazing character who has rebuked death twice and lived to work more like a 40 year old than a 66 year old.

Just 5 years ago he had a toxic shut down with multiple organ failure. He was on life support for some weeks before life began to return to his body which by this stage looked more like a lifeless wax model with various machines, tubes and drips attached to try and restore the life that had so suddenly been drained.

It was new years eve, we had both done meals on wheels in the local town then returned to collect firewood from the back of the farm. We worked in an area where there were some dead trees but they were surrounded by long rye grass. He was cutting the wood with the chainsaw while I was loading it in the truck. When we went to return to deliver wood to tennants he said he didn't feel well. I suggested he lie down while I delivered the wood. When I returned he was in a raging fever so I took him to the local hospital. They did a blood test and chest xray then sent us home. Soon after arriving home visitors arrived simultaneously with the doctor ringing. He said "can you bring Dick back in straight away?" I replied "could we just have a cup of coffee with our visitors first?" to which the doctor responded with urgency in his tone" tell the visitors to go and get Dick back in here straight away."

"Whoa this must be serious", I thought , so told the visitors to get themselves a cuppa and I drove 25 kms back to the hospital. By the following morning he had been taken by ambulance to another larger hospital and was put on life support. The family was summoned to his side and many friends and family began to pray. As he was coming out of the coma he said there were people behind the curtain praying for him. Behind the curtain was another sick man but the awareness of people praying was real. He also asked that someone bring his body back from Adelaide ( 600 Kms away) where we had planned to go to a wedding.

We were running two fairly large farms on the south coast of Victoria and during his stay in hospital it fell to me to keep the farms going as well as driving the 160 kms to visit him in hospital. When he had completely emerged from the coma he was very weak and had to undergo weeks of physiotherapy to regain control of his physical functions, learning again personal hygiene and walking.

The doctors told me they had explored all possible reasons for his shut down but none fitted.

They tested for all sorts of farm related illness as well as tropical diseases but no valid explanation. I suggested it could have been ergot from the rye grass which he may have inhaled the spores of while using the chainsaw. They did not agree but they didn't come up with a better reason and since rye grass is enough to kill cattle I saw no reason why it was not responsible for my husbands illness.

Prior to this he was a very fit 61 year old who could work the socks off any 20 year old.

12 months later, to the day he had a heart attack which resulted in a quadruple bypass. He recovered once again and in a few weks was back working the farms like a young man again.

There are 1100 acres and around 1000 head of cattle and 1000 sheep. The work load is huge and he finds it necessary to work in excess of 10-12 hours per day 7 days per week to keep up. He does make time to have family holidays and the picture above was taken on one of these with 3 of our grandsons.

I have incredible respect and admiration for this remarkable man, my husband and I thank God for him daily. God answered our prayers and returned him to us and renewed his strength in a most amazing way. PTL