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Mark 10:27: And Jesus looking upon them saith, “With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”

Some of you have been praying for my brother John’s salvation. I posted an article several months ago (click here to read it) that talks about the changes the Lord has made in John’s heart–changes and motivations that would be miraculous in the heart of any sinner, but which are even more apparently awe-inspiring when one considers the mental limitations inherent for someone with John’s degree of Down’s Syndrome and other communication problems. The following is an excerpt from an e-mail I sent my pastor concerning further progress the Lord is making in John’s heart of hearts. I hope it’s an encouragment to you and a reminder to pray for him and others like him.

[John] asked me last night to pray with him (something my mom usually does before bed). I thought that was pretty special in and of itself, but when I sat down with him, I said, “Okay, who do we talk to when we pray?” He pointed up at the ceiling and said, “God!” “That’s right, ” I said, “And what do you want to thank God for?” And I just let him talk for a while. And while I couldn’t understand every word, I heard him thank God for Jesus, church, Amy (his sister), and Heaven (amongst some other things, like his video tapes, if I heard him correctly ;o) He got pretty serious and was saying something over and over again that I couldn’t quite grasp. I asked him if he wanted to tell God that he was sorry for the naughty things he’d done that day, and he very seriously said yes, he would. [He had tears in his eyes.] He kept pointing up to the ceiling and saying something about Heaven, so I said, “You want to pray about going to Heaven?” He assured me he did, and then it sounded like he said something ending in the word “saved.” (He knows these words because we pray with him about them and explain in simple terms what they mean.) I asked him if this is what he meant, and he said yes. He was not fooling around. I let him pray as he would, and then prayed with him, thanking the lord that John is really beginning, somehow, to understand and is desiring to know God and be forgiven for his sins. While I refuse to push anything with him or put words in his mouth, this is no less miraculous and worthy of prayers of thanksgiving. If He hasn’t done the complete work already, He is certainly working in John’s heart. To see John seeking and speaking of these things on his own, and assimilating the information in his mind with some continuity is indeed amazing and a comfort I can barely express. Thanks for your prayers.

And thanks for yours.