Visited a friend in Changi Hospital

We have known Mr. and Mrs. T H Lim a long time, more than 60 years. They've been good friends of ours and we have always enjoyed their company.

Mr. Lim was one of the five delegates to the International Youth Congress in 1950. I remember attending a concert at the Kampong Kapor Methodist Church where the Torchbearers put on a drama called "The Road" to raise funds for delegates. Captain W Stan Cottrill was the Corps Officer of Central Corps at that time. I was a teen ager in Balestier then.

Mr.Lim was the Corps Secretary of Singapore Central Corps for many years and his wife was the Corps pianist. In later years, they moved to the Wesley Methodist Church, and have remained Methodists to this day. But they remained good friends of the Army. The last meeting they attended was at the opening of the Army Headquarters at Bishan. I came as the International Secretary from International Headquarters to open the building officially in 1994.

Even when were were overseas, every time we came back to Singapore they would invite us for a meal at their home.

Yesterday, we visited him at the Changi Hospital and prayed with him. He responded by making some sounds. It was sad to see him in his condition, unable to eat and had to be fed by tubes. When we bade good bye to him, he opened his eyes to acknowledge.

The Prayer of Faith
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:13-16

We live in a sin sick world. Michael Green wrote "Disease and death are all part and parcel of the spurious deal the devil gave in return for primal man's 'yes' to temptation. In some mysterious way, sin, disease and death are all part of the heritage of disobedience." Till Jesus comes again and Satan bound, we still have to encounter the effects of the fall and so the ministry of healing goes on.

We pray for healing. William Booth speaking on faith healing made this remark. "There is perfect harmony from the beginning. Nothing to the contrary has ever been taught by our authority and many instances of faith healing have occurred in the Army throughout history." However, let us not expect God to do our bidding, for there are times when healing is denied however earnestly we pray. That does not altar the fact of Divine healing. God's power is as near to us in sickness and in death as it is in healing. When we pray and immediate healing does not come it is not for us to question its reality. The servant of God needs to trust and persist in believing God for physical, mental and spiritual healing, and at the same time being aware of the effect of the fallen world on us.