There is so much bad news all around us at the moment, like the terrible explosion in Lebanon, or like personal tragedies of loss. But amidst the heartache there are heart-warming stories.

This week there was a report about a man who, in his twenties, shot and injured two police officers 25 years ago. Leroy Smith was a drug dealer, and one of the policemen injured was James Seymour. When Leroy was released from prison after 20 years, he was a changed man and he wrote a book about his experiences called ‘Out of the Box’. James Seymour read it, could see that Leroy had changed, and decided to forgive him. Now reconciled, the two of them hope to work together to stop other young men being sucked in to gun crime.

This act of forgiveness was unexpected and overwhelming, and many years down the line something better promises to come about despite what seemed to be an impossible situation. So please pray for anyone you know who is experiencing an impossible situation right now. Maybe they need comfort, or forgiveness, or support.

Pray that God will give you a heart for those who suffer, and over time, maybe, just maybe, their bad news will turn into something better. God can do the impossible.

Marilyn Appleby