“Anyone who is sick should call upon the church’s elders. They should pray for & pour oil on the person in the Name of the LORD. And the prayer that is said with faith will make the sick person well; the LORD will heal that person. And if the person has sinned, the sins will be forgiven.” ~ James 5:14-15
It was a quiet Saturday at my house. I had a pretty good day hanging out in one of my spare bedrooms I call Mom’s room. I have most of her things in this room…pictures of her and her siblings, old black and white photos & color photos as well; wall hangings that she had; a few pieces of her furniture…it feels like her, so I call it Mom’s room. It’s a lovely place of peace & serenity…a sweet place to hang out in when I’m feeling out of sorts and wanting to be near her. I spent the afternoon, reading, reflecting, and praying. I asked the LORD to give me a little “nugget from heaven” of prayers that were being answered & was longing for some sort of comfort for myself as well.
That evening my husband was watching TV and I was in my study working on my computer when my husband’s phone rang. It was an Evangelical friend of ours, I will call JC. He was calling to ask if he could come over to visit with & pray for me. How cool is that? Just what I asked for…a nugget from Heaven…and his initials just happen to be JC! 😉
JC arrived at our house a little after 8:00 p.m., which for most people is late to receive visitors, but JC ran on a different clock than the rest of the world. After we had visited for a while, JC said he wanted to pray for me, actually he said, for both my husband and me. When he finished praying for me, I thanked him for getting out & coming to visit me…he lived 45 minutes away. He said he was in town visiting with his mother, when he said he got the strongest urging from the Holy Spirit to come and pray for me. He said he knew the LORD was telling him to come to my house and pray for me…and that’s just what he did, He put anointing oil on my head, and began to pray. Is GOD good or what? He gave me just what I asked for and just what I needed! I serve an amazing GOD!
As the days before my surgery came and went, I continued to stay focused on the Word. I would spend every moment I had studying the Bible and reinforcing all of the promises in HIS Word. As I read, I was reminded over and over again, that I am not alone. HE is with me and HE is in control. None of this is a surprise to HIM. I may not fully understand it now, but I know GOD has a reason for this season that I am in. I know HE has a plan that is bigger than I can imagine. As I read my daily devotionals, HE revealed HIMself, HIS very Heart for me…HIS daughter.
One day as I was reading, I was reminded that I should have a song of Praise in my heart as I walk this journey. This will become so real to me the day of my surgery. Praise is so very important when we go through trials. It not only lifts our hearts from despair, it helps to build our Faith as we Praise our GOD who Loves us and hears us when we call. The Bible tells us in Psalm 22:3 that GOD inhabits the Praises of HIS people. Want GOD to show up in your life…start Praising HIM.
“If you live by the Spirit, You will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.” ~ Galatians 5:16
We make choices every day – good or bad. And our lives are made up of the consequences of those choices – good or bad. The Bible tells us that we are to live by the Spirit & in doing so the LORD speaks to us through our spirit & prompts us in what we should and should not do. When we obey HIS promptings, we will always make right decisions. This spoke to me so strongly because I must make the decision to Trust the LORD with my whole heart, spirit, and soul! Jeremiah 29:11 says: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” There it is…GOD has a plan for me and that is to give me Hope and a future! To prosper me in health and not to harm me. A future? I hadn’t thought much about the future, but this Scripture tells me HE has plans for me, to give me Hope and a Future! HALLELUJAH!
It all comes down to Trust in HIM, to know HIS Divine Power…to live in HIS Love. Snuggle up under HIS Wing, to dwell in the Shadow of the Most High and seek safety in the Secret Place where I cannot be touched or harmed. HE must become my Strong Tower where I am guarded from any and everything that would try to come against me. How comforting to know that I am safe! I cannot be touched or harmed in HIM. As long as I stay in HIM, my Strong Tower, nothing will prevail against me! Yep…HE has plans for me and that, my dear reader Friends, is so very encouraging!
