The Promise

Last summer is somewhat lost on me. I didn't know what was causing me so much pain and fatigue. I thought maybe arthritis, but the kind you get as you get older. You know, in places where you injured yourself or overworked areas. I knew very little about any kind of arthritis. I just lived my life as best as I could, always pushing myself to get things done. When I began noticing an uptick in symptoms, I did what I always do when I feel badly, went to the Lord in prayer.

I know God is going to heal me of RA. I have a promise. You may say, how could she possibly know that? I would have asked the same question 22 years ago, before I was a believer in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I know that His Word, the Holy Bible, tells me that my healing was won for me on the Cross and I believe that. He and I have a history of prior healing, and that reminds me, if He has done it once He'll do it again. Now just to set this up for you, back in 2002 He healed me of sub scapular tendinitis. My shoulder was almost frozen and therapy was too painful. I took the tendinitis to the Lord and He gave me a dream that I could do windmills with both my arms. I knew He had healed me. It was just a matter of time. Within nine months I had total motion and no pain in my shoulder. It came from me lifting my arms in praise to Him. In the beginning I could barely lift my arm up or out. It hurt to move it at all. I did what I could to lift my arm in praise, and each week I could move it a little more. Then one day I stood at the altar and did windmills with my arms. I give Him praise! and thanks! for that healing.

On June 7, 1997 He healed me from a lifetime of migraines and night terrors. I was in a church service that night and received prayer for them both. I haven't had either since. I tell you this, because God has shown His mercy and desire to heal me. I know He wants me well. This is what I cling to when the fear creeps in or the pain starts up. With each bad report I get, I think ok, the worse it gets the more glory He receives when He heals me.

Last Sept 20th I was in church, physically hurting and just plain beaten. As I love music, the praise and worship time were particularly ministering to me. I don't know about you, believer or not, music just soothes the soul. For me, it's Gospel or worship music. Anyway, I started to feel a stirring in my soul and sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit. The words to the music were words of hope and healing. I knew, as I listened to those songs, that God was talking to me. He was once again telling me that He was going to heal me of my affliction. My daughter, Alicia, had been praying for me throughout the service. She told me afterwards that the Lord told her, "this too shall pass", meaning He will heal me like He has before. I have this as a promise, that I know He will fulfill in His time, just as He has before.

Now this may seem simple to some. In actuality, God's way is simple. It's simple faith, nothing complicated about it at all. It's our flesh that makes it complicated. I can tell you that even with this promise, I still at times grieve for what I used to be, what I used to be able to do. I get angry that this has happened to me and at myself for mistreating my body for all these years. I have cried over my thick hair falling out because of the methotrexate. I get discouraged when every report about the RA comes back worse than the one before it. That's when it starts getting complicated. My flesh is giving into the disease. It's at these times, my precious Lord is instantly there, like a loving Father and telling me He's still there. He sees the pain and fear and grief and He wants me to give them to Him. I cry, He dries the tears. I rant a little more and He stands by me patiently listening, never condemning me. I finally give all the pain, fear and grief to Him. Then He washes me in His peace. Oh what precious peace. All the weight of the RA is lifted and in it's place is joy. His word says that the joy of the Lord is my strength. He has given me His joy to live each day, one day at a time, looking toward the day that He fulfills His promise of healing for my body.