Who says miracles don't happen anymore? My friend Bill Hailey is living proof that miracles still happen.
Bill suffered five gunshot wounds on Dec. 6, and he nearly died. Even his doctors at Pampa Regional Medical Center said Bill should have died that night. But God had other plans. Not only did Bill survive, but now he is a walking testimony to the power of God.
Bill readily admits that he has been given a second chance at life, and he plans to make the most of it. He says he didn't deserve a second chance, but God wasn't through with him.
Bill's assailant fired five bullets into his body. After surgery to remove two of the bullets, the doctor said if the bullet had gone one millimeter in the other direction, he would have died within minutes of the shooting.
"For some reason, God let me live," Bill said. Amazingly, he was released from the hospital less than a week later. He left the hospital on Dec. 11. He believes that date, 12-11, relates to Revelation 12:11, which says, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony."
Now, Bill plans to use his "second chance" to share his testimony and, hopefully, to lead others to salvation in Christ. He also wants people to know he forgives his assailant.
"I forgive her," Bill said. "What she needs now is Jesus Christ. She needs salvation."
Bill said it's his duty to forgive. "God forgave me. I have to forgive her," he said. Bill says he hopes she will come to salvation.
He wants to thank the doctors and nurses and everyone involved in his care at both the Pampa and Amarillo hospitals, saying they are "the fingers of God."
Bill says the devil intended this for harm, but God can turn this for good. John 10:10 says, "The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
"The devil tried to kill me," Bill said, "But God's not through with me. He let me live!"
