Faith Over Fear: My Story of HealingSample

I find it interesting, but not surprising, that when you spend time in the Word, God prepares you for the battles ahead. For me, this came when I wrote a devotional called “Getting from the Amen to the Hallelujah” about 2 years before I was given an unsettling medical diagnosis. What’s crazy is that I didn’t realize that for three years I was living out of what God had shown me years before. I’ve always known that nothing surprises God. He’s told us through His Word that we will have troubled times.

John 16:33 NIV says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” 

Many times our struggles are simple. It may take a change in our attitude, looking at the problem from God’s perspective or sometimes a good night’s sleep. But there are times we face situations that are so overwhelming that we are not sure what to do. I’d like to say that when I’ve faced troubles I’ve been full of peace and the first thing I did was pray. Well, that’s not always how it works for me. Many times I have to process the information and my emotions. But the good news is that I do eventually get there and I’m sure you do, too.  So, what do we do in that space between the prayer and the answer? 

I know personally how hard it is to live in that space. In the summer of 2016, I had a small stroke, which led to an ER visit, two doctor visits and an MRA & MRI. Eight days after my scans I got the call from my doctor. It was 9:30 pm and I was getting ready for bed. My doctor very calmly informed me that I had two, maybe three, brain aneurysms and he would be sending me to a neurosurgeon. I didn’t ask any questions. I just thanked him for letting me know. Then I looked at my husband and said, “I have brain aneurysms. Two, maybe three”. We both just looked at each other in shock. I remember saying, “Well, this certainly wasn’t something that was on my bucket list.” I laid there in bed. I couldn’t pray, I didn’t cry, and I really didn’t have any fear at that moment. But fear began to raise its ugly head as I waited and waited some more.

What I want to share with you over the next few days are the ways that I filled that space between my amen (yes, I did finally find my voice to pray), and the answer to my prayer. And how important it is to trust God’s process. 

If you are interested, you can read the devotional “Getting from the Amen to the Hallelujah” on my Facebook page, Living the Word.