“They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint” Isaiah 40:31 (ESV).
This Scripture has been my life verse since I was 19. It has sustained me through many struggles and has caused me to rejoice in the triumphs.
Our life stories are made up of seemingly small delights and trivial irritations that build upon each other, and occasionally, we experience moments that take us on a path we never expected. I’ve had a number of them in my life … the day I got married, the day I gave birth, and the day Keith entered the Air Force.
November 21, 2010, turned my world inside-out. That Sunday evening, I encountered God as Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord Who Heals.
In 2008, I was told that I had “much to do” when I went up for healing. I wasn’t told what to do, but I accepted the statement as encouragement to begin studying what the Bible had to say about healing … and waiting.
From Weary to Strong
Keith and I poured over the Scriptures and books on healing. We believed that God had impressed upon our spirits that He was going to heal me. We thanked God for the healing that He was going to do, but two years later, I was worse.
Like the woman who had a discharge of blood for 12 years, throughout approximately 15 years, I spent thousands of dollars and suffered at the hands of many doctors and others who I hoped had the key to relief.
As I grew worse, my doctor reduced the days that I could work and encouraged me to resign from my demanding job.
“I thought God gave me a mission at my job. Maybe I misunderstood Him about the job and the healing,” I told myself. “I can serve God from my bed by praying for others.”
The woman with the discharge of blood heard about Jesus and that He was passing through her area. A great crowd was following Him.
“If I touch even his garments, I will be made well” Mark 5:28. But she was ceremonially unclean because of her discharge, and anyone she touched would be considered ceremonially unclean. Even so, she pressed through the crowd, bent down and touched the tassel of Jesus’ garment. Instantly, she was healed!
“Who touched my garments?” Mark 5:30b.
Trembling, the woman fell down before Jesus and admitted that she had touched His garment.
“Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease,” Mark 5:34.
This woman’s story is my story.
“There’s that healing service tonight. Want to go?”
“Sure.” Nothing more was said about the service.
Worship was beautiful, and the Holy Spirit was heavy in the auditorium.
“I don’t care about the healing any more, God. I just want more of You,” I prayed.
That night we saw tears of joy as ears heard again, cataracts were dissolved, and many were healed. Then, the call came for those who were in pain. Keith grabbed my arm and marched me to the front.
Eleven years ago today, Jehovah-Rapha miraculously healed a broken and pain-ravaged woman of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Instantly, the pain, the fatigue, and the brain fog lifted, and I smiled. Silence in the peace of God was all I wanted. But the healing shouted to the people around me. They rejoiced in the miracle that they had witnessed. When asked if I was healed, I just smiled. Keith explained to the crowd that I had indeed been healed.
I took no pain pills or sleeping pills that night and slept late the next morning, waking up to no pain. That day, my doctor wrote a back-to-work order for me, and we agreed on which medications to cut.
“If you come back in a month, and you are okay, we’ll cut the other medications, and I’ll declare your miracle,” my doctor said.
But there was disbelief among my co-workers. “What if this is just a placebo and it wears off? Shouldn’t you be quiet about it until you know for sure?”
“I know I’m healed. That’s why I must tell everyone that I’m healed.”
One month later, my doctor rejoiced in the miracle, and we cut the other medications.
The next month, he wrote me a letter, “You are an answer to prayer. Don’t let _______ [work] consume you, let the Lord consume you.”
Soaring With The Eagles
That night 11 years ago began the adventure of a lifetime.
On New Year’s Day 2011, Keith and I were on a San Diego beach observing the San Diego Kite Club event. I was going to organize a kite festival for a local Boys and Girls Club and wanted advice.
“Would you like to have this kite?” A stranger held out a huge guitar-shaped kite. “Really?” He nodded. I took the heavy thing and unfolded it. I unwound the string and started to run, lifting my arms overhead. After quite a few trys, I finally got it in the air and ran triumphantly on the beach. Fibromyalgia would have prevented this.
A Divine Appointment!
In May 2011, I climbed halfway up the Great Wall of China (only halfway because the bus was waiting). That trip proved that I could accompany Keith on the study abroad trips he led and help him.
God prompted me to begin writing in earnest about His promises, and Possess His Promises was born in October 2011.
The writing has intensified as well as the teaching of God’s Word.
I thank God for the struggles and pain, for He has used them to strengthen me as I continue to expectantly wait for Him and the promises that He has given me.
Some have wondered if it was Keith’s faith that brought me to the front that caused God to heal me. Others have speculated that it was my request to have more of God instead of the healing.
I believe that God was honing us both – giving Keith the faith to bring me to Jesus for healing and bringing me to complete brokenness and surrender, so that I and everyone around me knew that it was God at work.
Are you struggling, friend? God can use that struggle to strengthen you. Wait upon Him in eager expectation.
God is near to you and is a loving Father. While He may not heal you on earth, He will ultimately heal all His children.
He can use your struggles to strengthen your compassion and your ministry. He has plans for you and they are good. He fashioned works for you to do from before the foundation of the world, and He has equipped you to accomplish them (Ephesians 2:10, Ephesians 4:12).
Surrender your struggles to God and wait upon Him. He will show you how to possess His promises to you.
Loving Father, You are our Healer. You are all-powerful. Nothing is impossible for You. Although we struggle with what seems impossible to overcome, You are able. Strengthen Your children to see the possibility in the struggle. Work Your perfect will in our lives, so that we bring glory to You. We praise You and adore You, Lord, God Almighty. In Jesus’ name, amen.
2 responses to “Healed … 11 Years Later”
By His stripes you were already healed. You didn’t have to wait for Him to heal you. You just need to believe and accept that you were already healed many years ago when Jesus took a beating for you to pay the price for your healing ..Andrew Wommack explains it well..
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