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Psalm 77:11-12 – I will remember the works of the Lord; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds. (NKJV)
I will try to do just that as I retell the story so often repeated by my parents when I was growing up.
Polio is a highly contagious, disabling, and life-threatening disease that can infect a person's spinal cord, causing paralysis. At its peak in the 1940s and 1950s, polio would paralyze or kill over half a million people worldwide every year.
In July, 1946, at two years of age, I was a patient at Sick Children's Hospital in Toronto, Canada, and was not expected to survive the disease that ravaged my little body. My parents were thoroughly exhausted, as my father visited the hospital every morning and both my father and mother would visit the hospital every evening, even though they were never allowed to see me, because I was in isolation. Several agonizing months went by.
After what must have seemed like an eternity, they visited an interdenominational church in Toronto. With standing room only, it must have been overwhelming for them, to say the least.
A very kind pastor noticed the couple in obvious distress and cautiously approached them with the comment, "My name is Pastor Smith. Can I help you?" My father often said that it was almost as if he were waiting for them to show up. Right there in the lobby, he placed his arms around them and prayed for them and me, with the promise that he would also call on the huge congregation to pray later in the service.
During the service, true to his word, Pastor Oswald J. Smith, who founded the People's Church in Toronto in 1928, stopped the singing. He called for prayer for little two-year-old Stephen French, who was not expected to survive a terrible disease called polio. That was almost 80 years ago.
On Monday morning, my father visited the Sick Children's Hospital on his way to work as usual. When he arrived at the hospital entrance, he was rather shocked to see a doctor running towards him, waving his arms and shouting, "It's a miracle! It's a miracle! Come quickly and see your son." The curtain was pulled back to reveal a little boy sitting up in bed for the first time in months and obviously very much alive.
Would you wonder why, at the age of 12, I would accept the gift from the Lord Jesus Christ to be my personal Saviour from sin and accept the call to preach the gospel for the rest of my life?
Psalm 9:1 – I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. (NKJV)
What has God done in your life that should cause you to tell of all His marvellous works? We can use even small "coincidences" to give glory to God!
Prayer: Our Father, we have so much to thank You for that our lives won't be long enough to do it adequately. Thank You for all who are made clean by the blood of Your Son Jesus Christ and who are called by You to listen to the cry of the human heart and to respond. Amen!
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What a beautiful testimony, Stephen.
What a wonderful and encouraging story! Thank you.
Sing it again brother! Blessings on you for your sharing.
Nicely written. Thank you.
(Manitoba)
What an awesome testimony.
Blessings.
Love this Daily Devotional! Thanks!
(BC, Canada)
Oh, the wonders of God’s power and grace! Thank you, Stephen, for sharing today.
Thanks for this devotional Stephen, we do have “so much to thank God for”. Blessings.
Thank you so much for sharing. You have made my day.
God bless you.
Thanks, Stephen, for sharing that remarkable story.
It blessed me to read it.
Stephen
You are indeed one of our Lord’s miracles. Thank you for sharing.
A very moving and inspiring post, Rev. Stephen. Thanks for sharing and may God continue to bless you!
Thank you so much, Stephen, for sharing such a wonderful, personal testimony of how God has answered prayer.
Thank you, Stephen, for sharing your story, I believe many miracles happen today that just aren’t shared. Our Lord is a great God. Amen.
Oh my! Thank you! Indeed, how many times has God had mercy on me and healed me! All glory and praise to Him, who hears our prayers and answers!
Stephen,
Thank you for sharing this most wonderful story with us!
(Texas)
Thanks for sharing your amazing story today! Our God is a God of miracles and it’s so good to hear personal stories like yours. May God continue to bless you as you serve Him!
Amen Stephen. Thank you for sharing this encouraging word this morning.
How are you doing? I have been praying for you.
Blessings.
Hello Stephen,
Good morning. What a beautiful testimony. It has so lifted me up today when I have been feeling so, so down.
Thank you so much.
Good morning
Praise God!! Thank you for your amazing miracle! It sure stirs up the ‘fire’ faith in us when we share about the amazing things that God does.
Have a blessed day.
Thank you for sharing this very moving and miraculous event with us.
You’re so right that all of us have had at least one moment when God worked a miracle in our lives whether we realized it or not at the time.
Blessings.
Thank you, Pastor French, for your moving testimony of Our beloved Lord and Saviour being at work through and for His children today.
To Him be all the glory, all the honour and praise, in Jesus’s Precious Name we pray, Amen.
Good morning, Stephen!
Praise the Lord! Do I believe in miracles – absolutely! What an awesome story. My eyes are watering, and my heart is full because I know exactly what you are talking about. Do I believe in the power of prayer – Yes! The Miracle Worker is at work 24/7.
Stephen, thank you for your testimony of healing so long ago. It is good to remember how God intervenes and answers prayer. This past week I was blessed to recall an event from 50 years ago that reminded me of God’s care. It’s so good to remember and tell the story again. God bless you and keep writing these good reminders.
Wow, what a story! Amazing miracle for sure.
It is wonderful when we recognize and acknowledge what may seem like ‘co-incidences’ to others but are really God working in tangible ways!
How powerful your witness is! Thanks for sharing!
Continued blessings upon you.
Many thanks Stephen for your very positive and uplifting devotional. The work of our loving Lord is ever deserving of our faithfulness and thankfulness. What a wonderful work of our Lord was experienced by your parents on that day of your recovery in the polio ward and certainly has given you power and joy to go forward since. Blessings for this very special writing.
Good morning, Stephen,
When others share their faith journey, I am inspired to continue to share mine. I don’t have any dramatic incidence in mine, but those little “coincidences” in my life have been important. God is there helping me in many small ways to see how important He is to help me mature and grow and reach out to others. Thank you for sharing to help us all to remember the encouragement we can give to others. It is wonderful that your parents reminded you often of God’s help through prayer. Blessings.
Dear Stephen,
Thank you so much for your beautiful, inspiring devotional! I am the same age as you and remember when our doctor was afraid I had polio. Our minister prayed at my bedside, and hinted in his prayer that I may be dying. Blessedly, I did not have polio, just very severe viral pneumonia.
Now I am struggling with the sudden death of my husband and Covid. Please pray for me.
Thank you again for this morning’s message.
Blessings, Joy, Gratitude.
Your story will ring true with many who follow the Daily Devotional. A few years ago I suffered a major stroke and spent four days in hospital under the care of a neurosurgeon. Upon release and a follow up visit I was shown the x-ray image of a blood clot and told that in 30 years of medical practice by the doctor the outcome would be death or a permanent physical disability. I told him that I was aware that 3 churches in our small town had me on their prayer list. I spoke of a problem with numbers and reading to which he advised that the brain was a marvelous instrument that would rewire itself over time and indeed it has.
Years ago my business included meeting frequently with the purchasing manager at a hospital and on one occasion we talked about the healing that occurred from time to time that involved the intervention of a “higher power”.
Thank you for your testimony. Blessings to you and yours.
Thank you, Stephen. What a great testimony of God’s grace!
Thank you for a beautiful message of Hope and Confirmation of our Faith.
Thank you, Stephen, It’s stories like yours that make my heart jump for joy. Truly inspiring.
I just finished reading the Devotional you submitted telling about your miraculous cure from polio. I too was afflicted with that terrible disease in my childhood. My parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, everyone was praying for my recovery that seemed hopeless. I am now 83 yrs old and terribly afflicted with arthritis, but praise God. I beat the polio that stopped me from walking for what seemed like an eternity. I just wanted to tell you thank you for a Devotion that really struck home with me… rekindling the truth to accept the gifts we receive from our Father in Heaven.
Wonderful story of God’s grace! Brought tears to my eyes. I was told a similar story years ago by a youth pastor with cancer. Doctor similarly surprised, and without explanation.
Did you fully recover from Polio?
Blessings.
Dear Stephen,
Thank you so much for this devotional.
Both of my brothers had polio, one when he was under two and the other when he was fourteen. The latter has lasting physical signs of the disease, but the Lord has been with him, and he has lived a busy and useful life, serving the Lord.
How we need to thank the Lord for vaccinations that means we do not need to fear the scourge of polio each autumn.