Our family experienced a real-life miracle this past week…it left my hands shaking and my voice at a loss for words! I should begin by saying that I am not always the most patient of people; I have learned to temper my enthusiasm as I look forward to something, but it is a different story entirely when I am waiting for an answer to prayer. I have been praying faithfully for several years now, for my husband’s healing. Despite a few small improvements in his physical health, I have not noticed a lot of difference in him, over the course of the past five and a half years. He spends a lot of time in bed, since stretching out gives his back some relief from the almost constant spinal pain he endures daily. On top of this, he also deals with very disabling fibromyalgia, robbing him of his energy, sleep, strength and mobility.
The positive side of spending so much time in his bedroom is that Paul has the time, peace and quiet to pray for others. Indeed, he has become a man of prayer…he prays until he falls asleep at night and then again when he wakes up. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17, we are instructed to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Paul has prayed for a number of different people and different things over the years, but most recently he has been entirely focused on the health of a close family member.
We learned last November that my niece’s husband, Matt, was most likely dealing with a large mass on his thyroid, which was detected on an ultrasound, and then confirmed by a follow-up appointment with an endocrinologist at a very good hospital in their region. The specialist could actually feel the mass and gave it a “five out of five” for being highly suspicious of cancer. As well, Matt has been experiencing swallowing problems, off and on, since sometime during the pandemic. Jessica, my niece, had lost her own father to thyroid cancer many years ago, when she was just 29 years old. One can only imagine how frightening a diagnosis such as this would be, especially since both of them are still in the prime of their lives.
We invited Jess and Matt to dinner at our home on New Year’s Day, along with our adult children and their families in attendance. Paul was able to share that God had asked him to pray for Matt’s healing, after I first told him about the diagnosis in late November. They were very appreciative, but the agony of waiting for the biopsy seemed endless. Finally, Matt and Jess went in for the much anticipated minor surgery last Thursday. Because it was scheduled in a top hospital in the Toronto area, and the original ultrasound had been completed elsewhere, a second ultrasound was done prior to the biopsy that day. Much to the surprise of the technician, no mass was detected on the screen, so she called in the radiologist to determine what was going on. Even the radiologist could not detect so much as a small mass, let alone a large one! Somehow, between January 19 and February 15, the tumour had completely disappeared!
Needless to say, we were all in shock and felt a great deal of relief. Tragically, over the years, I have lost several close family members to cancer. I have never personally witnessed such a miracle of healing, either in my own family and circle of friends or during my career as a nurse. I would go so far as to say that true spiritual healing of the body is a rare occurrence indeed; once, in church, I heard a man describe how he was suddenly and miraculously healed of leg paralysis and disease, during a Thanksgiving service, when the whole church was praying for him. Why is this such a rare event, when the Bible is filled with examples of healing, often performed by Jesus himself? It may be that we are just not as steadfast and persistent in our prayer life as we should be. When I get tired of praying for the same thing, seeing no change, I ask God: “When, God, when?” Often, He will answer me, either through a timely sermon, a Bible verse, or a sign of some kind…sometimes, even a rainbow after the storm! God always encourages me to keep on praying and to never give up on receiving an answer. He never says: “Stop praying!” (This does not mean that we will always get the answer we want, however.)
Paul and I were driving home on Friday morning, after an appointment of our own, when this time, God spoke to HIM. A few weeks ago, Paul had asked God: “How can we believe in miracles today, if you do not show yourself strongly to us?” God obviously showed His love, power, and healing strength to all of us when He healed Matt. As we were driving along, the day following Matt’s appointment at the hospital, Paul heard a voice telling him that “Elijah’s God still lives today.” He understood immediately what the message meant, but since I did not grow up in a pastor’s home, he had to explain it to me later. Simply put, this means that God still answers our prayers today! Elijah was a mighty prophet in the Old Testament, performing several miracles during a turbulent time in Israel’s history (much like the times we are currently living in). In the end, it is important to remember that it is God who does the healing, not us, although we are meant to help ourselves and others as much as we can. Most times, healing occurs slowly, over a period of time; but once in a while, it is truly unexplainable, happens very quickly, and leaves us all in true amazement!
Thank you, Lord Jesus!
