«Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints» (Ephesians 6:18).
FOR ADVENTIST REVIEW READERS, Dr. Peter N. Landless’s name is quite familiar. For years, he and Dr. Allan R. Handysides wrote the weekly column «Ask the Doctors.» When the Review began to be published on monthly basis, Dr. Landless continued to answer his readers’ questions through the «House Call» column.
What I didn’t know was that Dr. Landless had been decorated by the government of his country (South Africa) with the Southern Cross Medal, a distinction given to army officers who have rendered their country exceptionally meritorious service and particular devotion to duty Nor did I know that while serving, Dr. Landless nearly lost his life. The story is told by Pastor Don Schneider.
He recounts that about two years after completing his studies in medicine, Dr. Landless received a letter from the South African government indicating that he was needed for compulsory military service. Because of his training, he would serve as a doctor. Not very willingly, he enlisted, hoping that the two years of service would pass quickly. During his second year of service, Dr. Landless was sent to an area that was being hit hard by the guerrillas. There, he says, his greatest delight was caring for the sick of a rural population near the military base. Every day, six days a week, he attended between fifty to two hundred patients from the town.
One day, while returning from caring for a child who was very ill, two anti-tank mines exploded and the vehicle he was traveling in blew up. It was 12:45 p.m. The driver of the vehicle died days later, and Dr. Landless suffered several injuries. As soon as he recovered, he called his wife, Rosalind. He was quite surprised when she told him: «We were in church, having lunch after the service, when we prayed for you. It was 12:45 p.m.» After talking to his wife, he called his mother to tell her he was fine. Hearing her son’s voice, she asked him: «Were you involved in an accident?» «Yes,» responded Peter.
«Today, at 12:45 p.m.,» she said, «I felt like I had to kneel down and pray for you. 12:45 p.m. the exact time of the explosion, his wife and mother, in different places, were praying for him. As tears ran down his cheeks, Peter Landless thought, What a blessing! The prayers of those who love us, and the prayers for those we love, are effective.
Of course they are, doctor! That is why the apostle exhorts us to remain attentive, “Praying always …for all the saints.»
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2022
“GREAT IS OUR GOD!”
From: FERNANDO ZABALA
Colaboradores: Xiomara Perdomo & Angelica Cuate
