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Healing Hope Newsletter
June, 2010
http://www.marionduckworthministries.com
In last month’s Healing Hope Newsletter I introduced Markus who had been abandoned by his birth father. His cherished career in soccer was over. Money was tight since he had to support his mother. Worst of all, he concluded that God had abandoned him. In desperation he cried out to the Lord. “I’ll do anything if only you won’t reject me.” In the middle of the night, he went to see his Christian brother-in-law. When Garrett prayed with him, Markus asked Jesus to come into his life.
“It blew my mind that the God who created the universe was paying special attention to me, even though I spit in his face. Satan couldn’t touch me, and if he did it was because God allowed it for my good.” At twenty-four years of age, he was completely changed.
“I didn’t want to get married for fear it would end in divorce the way it had for some of my friends. But God let me know that he was going to give me a wife. If I were to live him life for Him, then I wouldn’t have to worry that she’d leave me.”
“Still, when I met and married Jinny, I thought we’d have the shortest marriage in history because we are both so independent. As it turned out, the relationship grew strong and that struggle made me a better person. An easier relationship wouldn’t have sharpened me.”
Before he became a Christian, Markus kept quitting jobs. “But God opened the door to the printing trade and let me know I was working for him. He was my boss. “Even when there were layoffs, I learned not to be afraid. For now I was working as unto the Lord. He would take care of everything else—and he did.”
When the printing trade became computerized, Markus went back to school to keep up. But he says he was intimidated by the kids with whom he had to compete. “I hated to go to work and was exhausted all the time. One Friday at work, I was hurting bad and didn’t know what was wrong. I drank some coffee and the next thing I knew a colleague was slapping me in the face. But I continued to pass out.
“They called an ambulance but the first hospital they took me to was full so they had to find another. God’s peace came over me. I knew that even if the ambulance had four flat tires, he would get me there.”
During surgery, the doctors discovered that his aorta had burst and said his family should come immediately. A nurse friend told him later that people just don’t live with a burst aorta. His doctors said the fact that he was alive was a miracle. “But I was mad at God. Why didn’t he just take me to heaven?” But after about ten hours in the hospital, Markus sensed that God really was with him.
After he recovered, however, he couldn’t find a job. Even though he fought the idea desperately, he was finally declared disabled and disqualified from working any longer. Realizing that God had allowed this to happen, he stopped fighting and began to study the Bible and grow spiritually. When he began attending a messianic congregation about a year after his surgery, he grew even more in his faith. Eventually, he was appointed to be an elder.
“When I heard that my father, who lived in Holland, died, I was not moved. Six months later, I was taking a shower and God reminded me of him. He let me know that I didn’t care about my father and that was worse than hating him. For hatred means he’s able to hurt you.”
Convicted by the Holy Spirit, Markus wept. “I’d been a captive of hatred most of my life.” Now he knew he had to forgive his father for abandoning him. “When I finally did, I was set free.”
A year ago, he experienced life threatening heart symptoms again and had extensive treatment to which he responded well. These days, instead of blaming God for what he doesn’t have, he cherishes what he does have. A wife and family, church, the opportunity to watch world cup soccer on television and life in the family of God, now and forever.
Blessings,
Marion Duckworth
http://www.marionduckworthministries.om
http://www.healinghopeonline.com
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