The difference was, Mr. Hirai, the church leader who had a seriously debilitating cerebral hemorrhage a couple years ago. For the first time in months, he was spiritually "himself" again, though, of course, his physical handicaps remain. With new mental energy, he has renewed zeal for the Lord and has been doing his rehabilitation exercises faithfully, even attempting new things that he feared doing in the past. I could see the difference, his wife spoke enthusiastically of such, and their son, who is not a believer, has surely noticed, as well. What a difference from when I saw him last month! What happened?
A few weeks ago through some BBF friends I finally obtained for Mr. Hirai a copy of an out-of-print Japanese book on the handicapped people of the Old Testament written by Pastor Naito, who is himself seriously physically handicapped. In the weeks since I gave it to him, Mr. Hirai has read this small book through seven times, and the effect of the messages therein has been anything but small. Praise the Lord.
As for our own Bible study and message last Sunday, that was on David and Mephibosheth in Second Samuel ch. 9, and the first one in the "True Happiness" series to deal with happiness and handicaps. The Lord blessed that study also. In July we will again be on the same topic, next time in Second Samuel ch. 19. And our long-term plan is to develop this series of studies into a new in-print text titled "In Quest of Happiness and Healing" as part of our growing "In Quest" series on questions in the Bible. The Lord has greatly used Pastor Naito's out-of-print text; may He do likewise with this yet-to-be-in-print "In Quest" text, as well.
