Sid: My guest by way of telephone I’m speaking to him at his home just outside of Birmingham, Alabama in Jasper Alabama is Ben Godwin. And Ben on July 16, 1977 was riding his bike and there was a blind spot. He got hit by a car, literally part of his leg bone, three inches of his bone was at his side, he had a couple of compound fractures; they were concerned about at best when they took him to the hospital, and by the way he had another accident on the way to the hospital. The ambulance gets hit so they didn’t know the best scenario would that he’d be crippled his whole life; the worst his leg would be amputated. But he had praying parents who prayed. So they put in a couple of pins to keep things still while they were deciding what to do with his leg. And three months later pass his mother had had a vision of the bone gradually coming back in the leg. I’ve got a picture of his leg, and the bone is definitely missing in my picture and that was the before picture. And then you went three months later after the accident you go to a prayer meeting and it was a very unusual you said that it was an unusual presence of God then. And you’re just the young kid at that time your 7 years of age tell me what happened at that prayer meeting.
Ben: Well, I was sitting there beside my parents, my crutches were at my side, my long leg cast was still on; three inches of bone still missing out of my leg. Then suddenly in the course of that prayer meeting just the atmosphere changed. It was if the Spirit of God came among us in a powerful way; in fact when my Pastor, Bertha Madden, started her prayer meeting that emerged into a church. She saw a vision of people kneeling all over her living room and Jesus walking among them touching them and blessing them. Well, it was that kind of a night, and my pastor was so moved, I mean she began to weep, she began to pray in the Spirit, she did something totally unusual for her she, if you can imagine at this time was a 79 year old woman, and she literally fell face first out of her chair, she was in a wing chair. She fell face first on the floor and crawled on her hands and knees across the room to where I was sitting.
Sid: Well, was this because the presence of God was so tangible she had no choice?
Ben: I believe that she was compelled; she was overwhelmed by the Spirit of God. She had such a depth of compassion. Now she had prayed for me on numerous occasions before this but this time it was different. She had just tears in her eyes, and I’ll never forget her words Sid, she as she prayed I remember watching the tears glisten on her faith filled face. And she said these words she said, “A new bone for Ben God, honor Thy Word with a new bone in this leg.” And in the course of her prayer I distinctly remember those words. And I told my parents on the way home, “When Pastor Madden prayed for me I literally felt something move inside of my cast.”
Sid: What was your parents’ reaction after that prayer?
Ben: Well, they really believe that God had done something, I mean there was such a tangible presence that they really believed that a miracle had occurred.
Sid: But then tell me this, why did you miss your next two doctor appointments?
Ben: Well, that’s a long story, but I’ll make it very brief. My parents had been really offended at the first surgeon that attended my leg. He is to be accredited for saving my leg, preventing infection and so forth. But he was very derogatory towards my parents, and basically he insulted their faith on more than one occasion. He used profanity and they just didn’t want me under his influence anymore and they made a bold move and they decided right in the middle of this crisis to change doctors.
Sid: Okay, so when you went to this next doctor, though I understand that he was very upset that you waited so long to come in, why was he so upset?
Ben: Well, you understand that my last doctor’s appointment had been September 15, this doctor’s appointment was November 3, 1977 so for a total of 48 days with my leg in the poor condition that it was in I had not seen a doctor. Now my parents treated my wound, they showed us how to change the bandages and so forth, they treated the leg but a doctor had not seen me in 48 days.
Sid: So what did he say when you saw him for the first time this doctor?
Ben: Well, to be honest he was upset with my mother and basically accused her of being irresponsible. He said, and I’m paraphrasing but he said “something to the affect, don’t you know infection or gangrene could set in this leg?” Ben could lose his leg? And of course, we were coming to hear the good news of a miracle, not the possibility of amputation. So he went out of the room to exam the new X-rays. My mother, I’ll never forget, she grabbed my hand and she began to pray kind of in a whispered tone, she said, “Satan we bind you and all of our accusations against us,” she said, “Lord we trusted You this far and we’re not giving up now.” And she just continued to pray; well a few minutes later the doctor came into the room and we got tense, we braced ourself for more verbal abuse, but this time something was noticeably different about the doctor’s countenance. His attitude toward us had totally changed and he stuttered a little bit and he said, “Mrs. Godwin, I need to show you something, and he said, “Something has changed in Ben’s leg since you were here.” And we went down the hall to a small X-ray room. There on the lighted screen he pulled out his pointer and in medical terms tried to explain to my Mom that 3 inches of bone had appeared on the new X-ray.
Sid: Which I’m looking at right now on page 63 of your book. So how did he account for those three inches of bone materializing?
Ben: Well, when my Mom saw it she said, “Is that what I think it is?” And he nodded with his head and my Mom, was very vocal and demonstrative person she began to shout “Hallelujah” and literally leaped for joy, I mean literally!
Sid: Well, what did this doctor say?
Ben: Well, he was baffled; he really didn’t have an explanation. Here’s what he did say, he conceded to my Mom, he said, “Mrs. Godwin, you really do have faith” and he was visibly impressed. He didn’t go so far to say, you know that it was a miracle, but we do know this…
Sid: Listen, we Jewish people have a Hebrew word for doctors like that, Mischugah, it means crazy. Absolutely crazy I got the X-rays.
Ben: Yes.
Sid: Just out of curiosity you went on to play high school sports, we’re you limited in any way?
Ben: Before I answer that let me add, my mother had a housekeeper that was also employed by this same doctor. Although he was nominally religious beforehand, we heard through the grapevine that this doctor began reading his Bible and began attending a Bible preaching church as a result of what he saw in my leg.
Sid: I think anyone that reads the book and sees the documentation has got to reevaluate whether miracles are for today or not.
Ben: Yes.
Sid: But answer my question, you went to play high school sports, did you have any limitations?
Ben: Now the next day after we saw that X-ray he took out the pins that were in my leg, took off that old ugly long leg cast, and he put on a short cast and then I was able to start putting pressure on the leg gradually. See I had lost some muscle as well in that accident so gradually I began to strengthen my muscle and by the end of that school year I was participating in athletics and all throughout Junior High and High School.
Sid: Did you walk with a limp?
Ben: Maybe at first simply because my leg was weak because I hadn’t used it, you know for several months, but all throughout junior high and high school I was able to play basketball, football, volleyball, water skied, I’ve snowed skied.
Sid: Listen, you’re missing three inches of bone do you walk with a limp today?
Ben: No sir, my legs are the same length, I can walk without any problem. In fact I have not been back to a doctor of any kind for any treatment on this leg since that day in November.
Sid: Now, when you share your testimony miracles take place because people have their faith stretched; that’s one reason that you wrote your book “God’s Strategy for Tragedy.” But as far as I’m concerned if the miracle wasn’t in the book this is such necessary teaching because there are Christians that are, they may not even have the nerve to say this to God but they’re wondering “God, why do you allow these tragedies?” “How can I trust you?” I would imagine people that are in that impossible situation where they literally angry with God. I guess that’s because they’ve missed understood…
Ben: The people that have talked to me or written to me so far have had an overwhelmingly positive response. People have told me they’re amazed by my testimony and what God had done and what God has done in my life, but they also have told me that by hearing my testimony or reading it that their faith just begins to soar and they are encouraged to believe God for His supernatural intervention in their lives. Because the Bible says “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever,” What He has done He will do and you know what God has done for somebody else automatically your faith begins to rise and you say “Well if God did it for them He’s no respecter of persons.
Sid: Speaking of faith rising, it’s rising right now. On tomorrows broadcast I believe there’s going to be a release of the supernatural.
Tags: It's Supernatural, Sid Roth