Testimonies
Stories of lives changed by the grace and love of Jesus Christ.
Annette Barton
March 2026A Miracle for Tom
This is a testimony about someone I knew many years ago. I have changed his name but this tale is true and glorifies God. About 40 years ago, Mike and I had started attending another church, along with our children, about a mile from our home. The minister of this church was a godly man and, along with his wife, they ministered the Lord’s compassion and healing to all who had a need. Now this minister, who I shall call Peter, had three children. Tom, their youngest, who was about the same age as our two sons, was a teenager who thoroughly enjoyed racing along the road on his bike – not unlike our oldest, Paul, who also used to weave in and out among the busy traffic while making his way up the hill at breakneck speed. Once when I was making my way up the same hill toward home, I caught sight of him and my heart almost stopped when I saw this figure fearlessly navigating his way between two double decker buses. Well, Tom was made of the same daredevil attitude as Paul.
One day we received a phone call from Peter who asked for urgent prayer for Tom. While cycling up that same hill (eye witnesses later stated he was cycling responsibly), a car smashed into him and threw him off the bike. As he lay prone and broken on the road, two people hurried out of a car, that had stopped just behind him, and raced to his side. They were from the local hospital and worked in A&E. With great care they laid him in the recovery position and administered medical aid until an ambulance arrived and took over. The Lord’s divine providence! He was taken to hospital where he was admitted to a ward and put in traction and support. An x-ray confirmed his cervical spine was broken. By broken, I mean, the vertebrae were separated. A call was put out for prayer and the church building was opened up for all those in the area, who could give time, however short or long, to come together as one body and intercede on his behalf. Many came, some for an hour, others for much longer. The doors remained open for two or three days, and those that came prayed as they felt led. There was always someone there to watch over and to be responsible for this time of meeting. There was no structure, no leading from the front, only the presence of someone in leadership. Prayer was led by the Spirit of God, and, as this or that person was inspired, there were verbal and unspoken prayers.
Scriptures were shared now and again, and people would break into spontaneous worship and praise. Some would weep and some would cry out. Some fell to their knees and others sat with heads bowed. Some stood and walked while beseeching the ‘throne of grace’ and others lay sobbing on the floor. Hearts were grieving for the parents who would, it seemed, soon be saying goodbye to their beloved child. What hope was there for a, once healthy, young man who lay broken in hospital with little chance of surviving? We were kept up to date on the events unfolding in the hospital. His parents stayed by his bedside and prayed for their son, and laid hands on him. The specialist was compassionate but realistic about the chances of any operation being successful. Any procedure would hold a very high risk of death, or, if in a small measure successful, turn him into a tetraplegic. No surprise that the surgeons were cautious as to what they should do. The spinal fracture in the neck had separated into two parts with a sizeable gap between them. The swift action of the medics at the crash scene had already saved his life but – what now?
The prayer of God’s people continued on. People came and prayed with others, united in asking the Heavenly Father for His provision. Every moment that could be spared was used in intercessory prayer ascending heavenwards. Some of those people were young in the Lord, and some did not fully understand what intercession was but God knew their hearts and responded. A couple of days further on and we received an ecstatic message from Peter and his wife, informing us that Tom was sitting up in bed and eating a burger and chips! Apparently, he was ‘starving’. Another x-ray, confirmed that his neck had healed together perfectly! Tom spent a few more days in hospital under observation and was then discharged with no ongoing medical needs. The Lord had responded to the prayers and granted him complete healing. For those of us involved in that time of prayer we sensed an extra blessing from the Lord. We discovered a new-found unity, not just in our local body but also in the wider body of believers in the surrounding area. There was also an awareness of spiritual growth in a time of proving and testing.
I would like to say that Tom became a model of careful and responsible cycling, but although he joyfully acknowledged God’s wonderful healing miracle in his life, he still retained a measure of that irrepressible confidence.
We all learned something very precious during that time. When we are faced with a sudden disaster, we might feel utterly overwhelmed. Our God knows this and His Spirit, Who lives within us, will supply our every need. He has also placed us in the family of God that we might encourage one another in our trouble. Back then, it was, for us all, a time of growth in trusting and obeying God and in seeking the inspiration and instruction of the Holy Spirit in a situation we did not know how to handle.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:9.
Jenny Chapman
March 2026My parents were Christians. They lived their lives around serving God. My father was an elder in our local church. At that church I heard about the good things Jesus said and did. However, at school, I had a 'best friend' who was a few different than me. We were 10 years old. This friend did lots of things that I knew were wrong but I went along with what she did (she was my friend). One thing she liked to do was steal things. She took stuff that did not belong to her, or me, and I was in on it. I had to help her and not tell anyone. Eventually, the class teacher challenged the thief to own up. We didn't own up and I felt bad for weeks knowing we had done wrong. I believed that the Bible is God's Word for everyone and that He will forgive our sins through Jesus. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 I knew that I needed to say sorry for what I had done. So, I knelt by my bed and asked God for forgiveness and trusted that He would because of what Jesus has done for us. I began to learn more about God's ways and, in my teens, I was baptised. My text was: 5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5–6 (KJV) We used the King James Version then — there were very few others available. Now 70 years after that sad time of stealing, I remain trusting in God and in His Word. I have experienced the Lord's help in many ways. Too many to mention here. So I will tell you of something that happened very recently. A few weeks ago, I met two Malaysian Christian women at a funeral. As we chatted, they asked if they could pray for me about a bad sore on my upper lip. I had been treating this with a steroid prescribed at the hospital. They prayed in Jesus’ Name for healing. My husband noticed improvement almost straight away! Within a week the sore place and scabs had gone. I had been treating the sore all summer! It had become very uncomfortable and would crack and bleed. I am thankful that the Lord heard their prayer (and mine). It is, perhaps, a small miracle — but it illustrates what I have experienced of God's grace all through my life.