Jehovah Rapha = "The Lord who Heals" (Exodus 15:26)
I have noticed that prayer requests for healing are made weekly. I am a living testimony of God’s power to heal today. The Bible says we should share what God does for us, so I wanted to share my healing story with you.
A few years ago, I was limping as I walked, and my back was sore. At first, I thought I had pulled muscles, but as these areas became more painful and I noticed weakness in my muscles, I went to go get checked out. I went to a chiropractor first. He took x-rays and found no cartilage left in my hip joint; bone was rubbing against bone. He wondered how I could walk and suggested I see an orthopedic surgeon about my hip. That physician said I needed a hip replacement and I should see a specialist about my back. The first physician recommended injections for the back pain, if that didn’t work I would need surgery.
My prayers became more intense, I did not like the idea of surgery since I had heard horror stories about lifetimes of pain after back surgery. I decided to see a neurologist about my back and muscle weakness. After many weeks of testing he sat me down and very seriously told me he had some bad news: he told me I had ALS and would die within two years.
I was ok with this diagnosis. I knew the Lord and where I would be going, so I began to set my affairs in order. While preparing for dying, I prayed for healing. I had only two prayers: first, that I could serve Him for a few more years at the church and second that I could play with my grandson. I continued to pray all along. I had heard God could heal illness, so I started searching the Bible and reading all of God’s healing promises. The Bible says that when Jesus went to town he healed them ALL. It doesn’t say he healed the good people or the people that went to synagogue or the people that prayed a certain way. It says “all”. I figured I was one of “them all” and stood on this promise.
I went to a specialist to confirm the ALS diagnosis and see if there was any treatment to ease the pain as I died. I started receiving injections in my spine and that helped for a short time. After a couple months and many more tests, he determined I did not have ALS, but a slow-progressing myopathy and should see about surgery on my back for some relief of the back pain. Either I was healed by God of ALS, or the first neurologist was very wrong, I will save my thoughts on that for another blog! I went to another neurosurgeon about my spine, and he said I definitely had pinched nerves that were causing much of the pain in my leg. He also said he could reduce the pressure on my nerves and reduce the pain by forty to sixty percent, but that I would never be pain-free. I thought that was great news since the pain was so intense!
Going to see all these doctors, scans and testing took about a year. During all of this I was praying for healing and for my two prayers be answered. Over this period, I went from limping to walking with a cane, unable to stand up straight, and being in constant pain; going to sleep in pain and waking up in pain. I had accepted the idea of surgery and decided to let doctors do what they could do. I prayed that God would do what the doctors could not. I had my back surgery, and the doctor said everything went well and it did seem to reduce the pain. I kept praying and waited the six months recommended between surgeries to have my hip replaced. After that surgery medical staff told me I could return to work after I rested flat in bed for two weeks. Then after weeks on crutches I could work myself down to a cane, and eventually walk unaided for a total of six months to a year for recovery. I continued to pray for a speedy healing and my two prayers.
The first week out of the hospital after my hip surgery, I ventured out of my house for the first time on crutches to attend Good Friday service here at Eagle. While entering the service I felt the Holy Spirit so strongly, to the point of tears, and at that moment I knew I would be completely healed…even though it hadn’t happened yet.
Turned out I was back to work on crutches after one week, and within six weeks I wasn’t using anything to help me walk.
All of this began eight years ago and I am still serving the Lord, my grandson is now 10 years old and I am blessed to play with him all the time. I was told that I would have restrictions and never have the same movement. I do everything I used to, and even regularly work out! I am 100% pain free to this day and I did not pray for that! God just threw in the pain free healing. That is the kind of God we serve!
I praise God every day that He allows me to serve Him. I learned that it’s not how much faith you have or that I had to ask God in a certain way or do anything else a certain way. All we have to do is receive the healing He promises us in His word.
I received a healing which is a slow miracle, a miracle is a fast healing. Either way I am living proof it happens now, just like 2000 years ago.