Two weeks passed, but Frank’s words still rocked me to the core.
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” (John 9:3)
Frank read the scripture, but the Holy Spirit gave it life. The Lord was speaking directly to me. God had a greater purpose in all this, so my suffering would not be in vain.
The phone rang. It was Leona. “Dave, I want you to come to my church next Sunday night. There is going to be a healing service.”
“That’s great; maybe the Lord will heal your kidneys.”
“Thirty years of dialysis is sure getting old. Wouldn’t it be great if we both were healed? Dave, I really want you to come. Do you know the directions?”
I laughed. “I used to be a member there, but that was a long time ago. Yeah, I’ll go; but you have to sit with me.”
It had been several years since I’d set foot inside Christian Life Center. Just hearing the words brought back the painful memories of losing my family to the cult. I should not have stopped going to church back then. If only I could find healing from the past.
“Lord, somehow reunite me with Pastor Jed before you bring me home.” I remembered praying.
I pushed my walker through the huge crowd until I found Leona. It was not long before the service began. After hours of testimonies of the healings he’d witnessed, the evangelist invited the sick to come forward.
The crowd stampeded, leaving Leona and me in the dust. The line was too much for me to endure. Leona sat with me until the crowd started to dwindle. Then someone started turning off the lights. It was over and I never even got a chance. It was so unfair.
“Dave, didn’t you get prayed for?” It was Jim M. A friend I’d not seen in years.
I tried to answer, but I was just too weary. The best I could manage was a whisper. Understanding my problem, he leaned in close. “No, I was too late.”
Jim called to a few men to come over to pray for me. After a few minutes prayer, the man called Jeff started telling me about all the “work” he “saw” God doing in my body. It shocked me because he didn’t know me from Adam and somehow he identified the exact areas of my illness.
“Do you feel any different?”
I shook my head no.
I knew God could have healed me if He wanted. Evidently, He wasn’t going to take this illness from me. I went home and crawled into bed, accepting my fate.
When I awoke in the morning, I knew something was different. It was a miracle! Everything worked. I ran, jumped and did everything I couldn’t do the day before. Oh, there was still a slight limp; but I could deal with that!
I guess you know the first person I called. “Leona, guess what... God healed me while I slept. It’s strange though, because it is not complete... its like I was healed 90%. It’s weird, but God must have a reason for it. Leona, I have my life back!”
“David, that is so awesome! Hey, isn’t your healing just like the Pa character in your books? Wasn’t he also healed 90%? Dave, I think it was a prophecy of your healing!”
I was stunned. She was right; it was exactly as the Holy Spirit told me to write it.
. . . . . . .
For the next several months, I fought the Lord’s prompting to visit a church that was only two miles from my house. Many years earlier, someone with ties to that church hurt me badly. Then one Sunday I didn’t have enough gas to drive to Port Orchard, so finally I gave in.
I couldn’t believe it. It was Pastor Jed!
It shamed me that my holding onto unforgiveness kept me from the healing I’d longed for. I was not only restored to my old pastor, but he also asked me to work with the youth!
God is so good!
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” (John 9:3)
Frank read the scripture, but the Holy Spirit gave it life. The Lord was speaking directly to me. God had a greater purpose in all this, so my suffering would not be in vain.
The phone rang. It was Leona. “Dave, I want you to come to my church next Sunday night. There is going to be a healing service.”
“That’s great; maybe the Lord will heal your kidneys.”
“Thirty years of dialysis is sure getting old. Wouldn’t it be great if we both were healed? Dave, I really want you to come. Do you know the directions?”
I laughed. “I used to be a member there, but that was a long time ago. Yeah, I’ll go; but you have to sit with me.”
It had been several years since I’d set foot inside Christian Life Center. Just hearing the words brought back the painful memories of losing my family to the cult. I should not have stopped going to church back then. If only I could find healing from the past.
“Lord, somehow reunite me with Pastor Jed before you bring me home.” I remembered praying.
I pushed my walker through the huge crowd until I found Leona. It was not long before the service began. After hours of testimonies of the healings he’d witnessed, the evangelist invited the sick to come forward.
The crowd stampeded, leaving Leona and me in the dust. The line was too much for me to endure. Leona sat with me until the crowd started to dwindle. Then someone started turning off the lights. It was over and I never even got a chance. It was so unfair.
“Dave, didn’t you get prayed for?” It was Jim M. A friend I’d not seen in years.
I tried to answer, but I was just too weary. The best I could manage was a whisper. Understanding my problem, he leaned in close. “No, I was too late.”
Jim called to a few men to come over to pray for me. After a few minutes prayer, the man called Jeff started telling me about all the “work” he “saw” God doing in my body. It shocked me because he didn’t know me from Adam and somehow he identified the exact areas of my illness.
“Do you feel any different?”
I shook my head no.
I knew God could have healed me if He wanted. Evidently, He wasn’t going to take this illness from me. I went home and crawled into bed, accepting my fate.
When I awoke in the morning, I knew something was different. It was a miracle! Everything worked. I ran, jumped and did everything I couldn’t do the day before. Oh, there was still a slight limp; but I could deal with that!
I guess you know the first person I called. “Leona, guess what... God healed me while I slept. It’s strange though, because it is not complete... its like I was healed 90%. It’s weird, but God must have a reason for it. Leona, I have my life back!”
“David, that is so awesome! Hey, isn’t your healing just like the Pa character in your books? Wasn’t he also healed 90%? Dave, I think it was a prophecy of your healing!”
I was stunned. She was right; it was exactly as the Holy Spirit told me to write it.
. . . . . . .
For the next several months, I fought the Lord’s prompting to visit a church that was only two miles from my house. Many years earlier, someone with ties to that church hurt me badly. Then one Sunday I didn’t have enough gas to drive to Port Orchard, so finally I gave in.
I couldn’t believe it. It was Pastor Jed!
It shamed me that my holding onto unforgiveness kept me from the healing I’d longed for. I was not only restored to my old pastor, but he also asked me to work with the youth!
God is so good!
