I was 6 years old at the time. The second eldest of 5 siblings. It was February 1965, my mom was in the hospital after suffering a massive heart attack. My siblings and I stayed with aunts and uncles during this time. At the young age of 26, my mom was diagnosed with angina (a weakened heart muscle). She was suffering from exhaustion and severe pain in her chest and arm.
While she was in the hospital, a young preacher came into Mom’s room to visit and pray for an elderly German woman who was in bed next to her. Mom helped the preacher convey to the woman why she was there interpreting for him, since the woman only spoke German. The woman was not interested in receiving prayer, but the cheeky young preacher prayed for her anyway. She then asked the mom why she was hospitalized and, after the mom’s explanation, she replied, “I don’t think the Lord wants a young mother of five children to be in that condition. Do you believe in prayer for healing?” My mom answered that she was, but having heard the prayer for the old German woman, she asked her to pray, that God’s will be done, not man’s will.
With that, the preacher said a healing prayer for my mom. A peace covered the room as the Holy Spirit entered; It was so powerful in that hospital room that the German woman got scared and asked to be taken out of Mom’s room. Hospital staff moved the woman to another room.
The next day Mom was taken to a treatment room where two very sad looking doctors informed her that nothing could be done for her, that her heart muscle was deteriorating very rapidly and that she should prepare for death in two weeks. Mom took the news very well since the peace of the night before had not left her. Even after giving her this grim news, the doctors asked her to see another heart specialist and made an appointment for her. She agreed to this on the condition that she be allowed to go home instead of staying at the hospital. She really wanted to see all 5 of her children, so the doctors reluctantly agreed.
That Thursday dad took mom home and took her home (she didn’t have the strength to walk). My dad was very worried and he wasn’t sure it was the right choice. Both mom and dad got very little sleep that first night at home. The next day, Mom was able to see all five of her children for a short time, but in her weakened condition; that visit had to be interrupted, so we went back to stay with our uncles and aunts. Friday night was again a difficult night for Mom and Dad: Mom was in severe pain and Dad was trying to get her to go back to the hospital.
On Saturday night (Dad had fallen into a deep sleep from sheer exhaustion) Mom was pulled out of this world through terrifying darkness and knew she was dying. She felt the hand of Jesus reach through that darkness and draw her to a beautiful place that she, she admitted, she had never been able to find the right words to accurately describe. The beauty there is unlike anything experienced on earth. She recognized Jesus and was able to speak and hear him. Beyond Him was a force so powerful she couldn’t face it, she knew it was God the Father, her Creator. She felt beyond a doubt that one day every knee would bow to his awesome presence.
Mom recounts that she felt great remorse talking to Jesus about all the things she considered important in her life and that Jesus healed her afflicted soul and gave her peace. She wanted very much to stay in that wonderful place and she affirms that it was her choice to stay or return to earth. She recounts how she thought of her five children growing up without a mother. She reveals how Jesus touched her dying heart and in an instant made his heart strong and healthy once more. She then woke up in her own bed next to her husband, who was still sleeping.
She excitedly woke him up and told him what had happened. They rejoiced and praised the Lord. The next morning my mom and dad went to church and wowed everyone in that little farming community! Mom, healthy and full of life and joy, stood up in church that Sunday and shared how Jesus had performed a miraculous healing on her.
Mom and Dad went to see their doctors that Monday. Shock and amazement crossed their faces as they examined my mother. Still, they insisted that Mom continue to see the heart specialist. The heart specialist, with a group of young medical students around her, put Mom through a plethora of tests and found that she was completely healthy. She told those students that if they wanted to become great doctors, they should always include the healing power of God in their future practice.
I am now 49 years old and still have my mom close. Dad passed away a few years ago, a very traumatic time for all of us, but especially for my mom, which may seem strange to some given the full knowledge that dad did indeed go to heaven, the most beautiful of destinations. Mom went through a very difficult time and she admits to contemplating suicide during her darkest hour. She prayed a lot and begged Jesus to drive away Satan. God answered her prayer and put a good Christian man in her life who is now her new husband. He goes to show that we are all human. We all still need Jesus every day.
So again, I think I may have an unfair advantage. I have a mother who put off going to heaven so that I would grow up with the love that she has given me all my life. When I am at my weakest point in my faith, I am reminded that a very real and documented healing from the Son of God Himself, Jesus Christ, was given to my own mother. And so, I share this true account with you. I offer it to you as proof that God exists. That the Holy Bible is accurate and true. That Jesus died for all mankind and provided a path to salvation by paying for the sin of all. That a simple acceptance of his gift grants you a home in heaven. May God richly bless you.
PS I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not perfect. Nobody is, Christian or not. Among my many other sins, I have been known to swear and curse at times, even though I try not to. I heard that many other people also take the name of the Lord in vain. Some who have admitted to me that they do not believe in God. They have mocked my own Christianity. Why then will they take the name of Jesus or God in vain but never the deity of any other belief? Just a question…Ron Wiebe
