This Journey

Early one Sunday morning I saw a quote from the movie, "Hidden Figures" that caught my attention.

                      "This is a God-ordained miracle!" 

As Joel finishes his book, working with an editor/author/columnist, his story is at the forefront of my mind.  A miracle it certainly was that early January winter morning over six years ago.  Miracles are the microwave- instant, blow-your-mind events where diseases leave, legs grow, minds clear, strength returns immediately.  Joel definitely had one of "those kinds" of healing experiences.

Most people who pray for healing see it come as a slow cooker type of process.  Some symptoms may leave right away and others take time to leave the body.  That has been the way most healing came for me. Like a slow cooker.  And in the past 2 years healing has come from surgery, radiation, and medication.  The white coat/stethoscope types have been used by God to bring help and healing. Another way healing comes is thought of as the "final" type of healing that comes when we die.  No doubt about it, we will walk in divine healing in Heaven.  I have learned that each of us hold our own beliefs regarding this somewhat controversial topic of healing miracles being available for all.

This past winter was a one step forward and two back type of process for seeing healing in both our bodies. For the first time in six years Joel had a concern that has came up.  God actually forewarned me concerning it.  I woke at 4 a.m. one morning hearing God say, "You need to pray scriptures over Joel's body."  I barely grasped what He was saying before I went back to sleep.  I told Joel what had occurred the next day but we did not know what to pray for until the week when Joel shared that his hand/thumb were hurting.  Hurting so much that he did not want me to touch it. I prayed for him and the pain got worse..........and then the hand swelled up!  When resistance comes into play we believe there is a spiritual component to it.  We prayed again before bed and Joel declared it would be gone by morning.  It was!  Yet..........

The pain left his hand and moved to his shoulder and then his hips.  He ended up sleeping in the recliner off and on during night hours as we continued to pray..........forgetting what God had told me in the wee hours of the morning.  When I remembered God's wake up call, we began to pray scriptures over Joel as God had told me to do.  "It is written..........God said I will give you back your health and heal your wounds".....It is written........Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.  Indeed, fear God and stay away from evil.  Then you will have health for your body and strength for your bones."  It is written...............

The pain is much less now, gone some days...slowly things are changing as we declare and pray.  We don't understand the why of God's instructions, but we speak from a place of obedience.

What about those who pray or are prayed for and symptoms continue to speak loudly?  For myself I have had to come to a place where I believe God wants us well, just like we see in the Bible where Jesus healed all who came to Him no matter what.  Our experiences at times do not erase what God's Word tells us ~by His stripes we are healed.  Miracles and healing continue to become reality. 

Don't you just love to hear about a miracle?!  An over the top, amazing, how can this be true miracle?  Our God does love to do what looks to be impossible with our human eyes.  We loooooove anything to do with miracles and healing.

I recently listened to a sermon by Pastor Eric Johnson at Bethel church in CA.  He spoke about people who have a deep passion for something God has placed on their hearts.  They study it, talk about in endlessly, declare it, live and breathe it.  The passion for the subject becomes so important to them that it is kinda becomes annoying to other people. Ummmm  been there.

Joel and I get that.  Our passion for healing and Holy Spirit is often over the top and our main topic of conversation.  We study it, speak it, declare it, live and breathe it.  It can be annoying to others.  Yep.  I have to say, though, that I pray it never lessens, our desire for more healing and more of Holy Spirit for ourselves and others.  I believe when God healed us of Lyme He placed on our hearts an assignment to do just what we are doing........studying, learning, declaring, and growing in the gifts of healing and the Presence of Holy Spirit.   I think  He would nix the annoying others part, but still expect us to please Him and not people.  It goes along with His command to "keep rocking the boat".  It has not always been easy, this journey, but we pray we continue to grow and learn.  We pray that we experience more healing and Holy Spirit  for ourselves and for others.  One of my favorite things is to hear someone tell their stories and to hear the words, "It is a miracle!'  I'm so glad God placed us on this journey. So grateful.