I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU AND NEVER FORSAKE YOU
Sakkie Parsons
Translated from Afrikaans: "Ek sal jou nooit begewe en jou nooit verlaat nie"
Dear Friend,
I ask that you read the following story that Jesus Himself told us and after that I would like to share with you a powerful testimony and event to thank and praise our Lord for this great miracle.
Two wonderful things stand out to me immediately about this testimony:
Firstly, that just as with the Good Samaritan in Jesus' story, we also do not know what this Good Samaritan’s name is in this story.
Secondly, that you can be encouraged by this testimony, that if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour and keep your eyes fixed on Him throughout your life – also in times of tragedy or in a crisis – He will grab hold of you, just as He did for Peter – Jesus took hold of him, so that he won’t drown.
Yes, in the same way He will grab us, His children – so that we will not drown in our circumstances.
Here follows the testimony of Aunt Sannie van Rensburg. First, let’s just read the passage from the Word that is referred to:
LUKE 10:25-37
The Most Important Commandment
25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”
27 The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”
29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Parable of the Good Samaritan
30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.
31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.
33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him.
34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him.
35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’
36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.
37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”
Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
Here is the testimony I would like to share with you:
Dear Sakkie,
I briefly want to tell you what happened to my Mother and how our Lord protected and helped her in a miraculous way while you and so many others were praying earnestly for her.
I was in bed with pneumonia when my youngest brother called me and said in his gentle way: "Mummy is gone, she got lost during the night and everyone is looking for her"
On Tuesday night the 29th of May, the day on Mother’s 92nd birthday, she spent the night with my brother and his family in Krugersdorp so that he could take her to the doctor the next day. She always enjoys her regularly visits on weekends with them a lot and they spoiled her so much that day on her birthday.
But on Wednesday morning when my brother came to wake her up, she wasn't in her room or in the bathroom or in the house or in the yard – She was just gone! They began to look for her relentlessly and for them as a family it was a terrible shock to find her nowhere in the area. Not at the nursing homes, not at the hospitals, not in the streets.
The cameras at the Old Age Home across from my brother's house displayed that she was out at the gates at 11.30 that night and started walking down the street in her nightwear – barefoot. It was 5 degrees in the middle of the freezing cold winter night.
Immediately everyone was called to pray very seriously for her.
The police, the sector police, the Elderly Home where she lives, her children and grandchildren and all over, people started looking for her. I was on my knees, asking our Lord to send her angels as He sent Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane in the dark night to take care of Him. Thus, a stream of earnest prayers from family and loved ones for Mother came to our Lord. I am so very grateful to everyone!
At 11 a.m., she was found by my brother's children.
A black man, who was on his way to Pretoria, saw her and picked her up in the early hours of the morning and then took her to Jusaf Dadoo Hospital in Krugersdorp.
Like an angel, he went out of his way to help Mother. He did not leave his details so that we could thank him but we blessed him and his family and asked that he will be rewarded in this life as well as in his eternal life as only our Lord can do it Himself.
If you think about it Sakkie, when people are driving past someone walking along the road – they think the person may be full of drugs or liquor and don't want to get involved. It reminds me of the story that JESUS told to portray neighbourly love – The Good Samaritan. People ignored him there along the road where he was bleeding – but a Samaritan came to help him and took him to the Inn to take care of his wounds. So did this man for my dearest Mum and I am ever so grateful towards him! Mother's beautiful face was lightly bruised, but by our dear Lord's wonderful grace she did not break anything or even caught a cold! She was transferred to Krugersdorp hospital where they performed tests only to find that she is absolutely fine.
Currently she is safe again in Emmanuel Home, where they look after her so well. The spots on her face healed and I am just amazed at what our Lord has done for her and for us.
To think Sakkie, she survived something like that at the age of 92. She didn't get injured. She didn't get sick. My brother stay close to a dam and if I think she could have fall into it in the dark night or what else could have happen to her – then I shudder. I would also like to mention here that Mother is in the early stage of dementia and is on medication, and that this is the first time such a thing has happened to her. She visits the family almost every weekend and knows the area very well. As I prayed for her, I prayed Psalm 23 which is her beloved Psalm and which she loves to quote. Especially verse 4 which say: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
I am extremely grateful to our dear Lord. In our deepest need He helps us through any crisis!
He has our hand firmly in His and He has promised us that no matter what we go through in this world, HE will never leave us. HE tells us in Isaiah 43:1-3 “I called you by your name – you are Mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through fire of oppression, you will not be burned up. The flames will not consume you. For I am the LORD your God."
When I think back to how our Lord helped my dear Mother, the kind and caring man's charity and how he put in a lot of effort, the quick response of people to help her, their sincere prayers and their compassionate love – then the Scriptures come to me that our Lord Himself will reward each one and also – that He never lets us down and never leaves us!
Thanks for the opportunity to share this evidence of a wonderful miracle and neighbourly love with you Sakkie.
Love and Blessings,
Elsabé Cronjé
REV 22:12 "Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done.
HEB 13:5 … "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
Greetings,
Sakkie