Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Miracle for Jen by Linda Barrick





Miracle for Jen is an amazing true story about a family whose lives are changed when they are hit head on by a drunk driver. It is a story about their road to recovery and a deeper faith in God. Especially for 15 year old Jennifer who has a severe brain injury and the family is told she may not live through the night.

Her mother wants her daughter to be healed and whole again and begs God to make her normal. But God has another plan, one that involves answering Jen's journal prayers in a way that no one would ever imagine or ask for. When Jen finally wakes she can not remember anything or anyone but knows the words to many worship songs and scriptures. She can hardly form words except when she sings worship songs and prays to God.

This story is inspiring. It made me long for a deeper relationship with God. I was jealous for what Jen had even though I would never wish for the way it happened. Jen desired to be a bold witness for God before the accident but she was terribly shy. She often wrote in prayer journals asking God to give her a boldness and the words to say. She asked Him to change her life, to give her a testimony. God answered.

Sometimes we may not like the way things happen in life but God's ways are so much higher than ours. We don't see the future and what influence our struggles may have on someone else. We have the choice to gripe and complain or to praise and worship. We go through seemingly impossible and unfair things because He sees the greater purpose for us down the road. He loves the weak because His glory will be all the greater for that weakness.

God was able to use Jen to spread the gospel even if by our standards He didn't heal her completely. Jen often said in this story that God heals her everyday. He never stops healing. I want to say so much more about this story but that would give the whole book away. It is a must read.  It is a life changer if you allow it to be.

I received a complimentary copy through the Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for a review. I was not required to provide a positive review and all opinions are my own.