Nearing Home - Billy Graham [15]
“Billy,” he told me during our visit, “within a matter of moments my life was changed forever. Since that night I have never had another nightmare about my captivity. The Lord radically transformed me.”
What happened in Louis’s life following his conversion is a thrilling story. While I had to coax him to tell me all he has done since then, he gave glory to the Lord for using him, even now at ninety-four. Louis is one of those night-blooming cereuses. Still serving the Lord, he is investing the fruit of his experience in the lives of others, some who are his own age but more who are children hearing his amazing story as the historical accounts of his capture and rescue are being taught in public schools. Louis’s testimony and the Word of God are impacting all generations with the spirit of hope, for as the Bible says, “Your word is my source of hope” (Psalm 119:114 NLT).
I wish everyone had the opportunity to sit and talk with someone like Louis Zamperini. He is an inspiration. It is true that not everyone has a story like Louis’s to tell, and aren’t we glad? When Louis was in captivity as a prisoner of war, he doubted that he would ever reach retirement age. He experienced the challenges of old age due to brutal treatment and lack of nourishment; his body began to break down. Most of us never experienced that at twenty-eight years of age.
For anyone experiencing aches and pains, think of Louis and others like him who endured unbearable suffering in their service to our country. Think of the apostles and other early Christians who were burned at stakes or beheaded because of their allegiance to Jesus Christ. As they did, find a way to use your uncomfortable situation to point others to Him. Then remember the Lord Jesus who came and took upon Himself our guilt and shame to free us from the captivity of sin. What a privilege we have to remind one another that we are blessed in so many ways and that we have the Lord Jesus to comfort us in whatever circumstances we must endure. Some of us may be bedridden or confined to a wheelchair, but we still have important work to do.
There is not enough room in this book to record the stories I have received from people who have graciously supported my ministry, some for sixty years. I have learned so much from them as I recall their commitments to pray for the work of the Lord. A young lady once mentioned that her disabled grandmother prayed for our crusade team until she died. She had written our names in her Bible. This is humbling. It is also convicting. What lessons there are to be learned from this faithful saint. God forbid that we should ever retire from prayer, the sweetest work of the soul.
RETIREMENT: THE TWO PATHS
For those who are retired and still in good health, there are many opportunities for service. We should always be expecting the Lord to reveal His plans for us. Just because we are retired does not mean our work is done. Retirement provides us the opportunity to spend more time doing God’s work, serving others in the name of the Lord.
So many people come to mind when I think of those who have retired for various reasons. One of those is my friend Mel Cheatham, one of the most respected neurosurgeons in the world. He had one of the busiest private practices in California while also holding a prestigious appointment as clinical professor of neuro-surgery at UCLA. Highly respected by his peers, he developed new surgical procedures, wrote extensively for various medical journals, and was