Even with all my good intentions, too much time has passed since my last post. There are so many things to tell you about that I’ve decided to try to write several possibly shorter notes instead of trying to cram it all into one long letter.
This time I want to write about God’s demonstration of unsolicited mercy.
As you know, I moved into this apt mid-April while it was still under construction. My landlord gave me keys early so I could come and clean. The painters didn’t use drop cloths or newspaper or anything on the floor, so you can imagine the mess. And not just the floors, but all the windows and other glass well. Those constantly repeated motions of scrubbing caused what I assumed was tendonitis in my elbows. My right elbow was so bad that the faintest bit of pressure caused pain as well as most movements of it. I definitely couldn’t lift anything heavy, but I couldn’t even get a plate out of the cupboard without pain and would opt to use my left arm because it didn’t hurt as much. I tried to not use my arms, but that wasn’t very successful. I also tried mega-doses of Ibuprofen which alleviated the pain for a while, but didn’t solve the problem. After two months, I was beginning to think it wasn’t going to clear up.
June 23, I accompanied a group of youth who went to see Nick Vujicic. He’s a Christian motivational speaker who was born with no arms or legs. I was very impressed by his sincerity and sense of humour as he shared his testimony. He’s the real deal, not a show. At one point, he asked everyone to stand and pray. He suggested praying for different things and I chose to pray for the adolescent and youth ministries. He closed the time with a simple prayer. In the middle was something like, “If there are any here who need healing, please heal them.” As he started that sentence, it was as if the Lord directed my attention to the pain in my elbow and on the word heal, there was suddenly no more pain! “Lord, did you just heal me????” I wondered as I was kind-of in shock. Then I began to move my arm without pain and began to praise the Lord for healing me. I’ve been wanting to share this with all of you since that evening. I wasn’t asking for healing or even hoping for it, but God decided to demonstrate His mercy in that way. For some reason, He left a little twitch of pain on some occasions. Why? I don’t know, but maybe it’s because I continue to praise Him for what He healed every time I feel the twinge.
Why would God heal me? I have no idea. Why would He heal me of such a minor ailment and not heal Joni Eareckson Tada who, apart from being quadriplegic, is now suffering from chronic pain?
Tuesday evening the New Believer’s class turned into a discussion of God’s sovereignty. Two key passages that I shared with them were 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it,” and the book of Job. That night when I checked my mail, there was a message that included the news that Joni has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. I downloaded and listened to the first part of her audio book where she openly shares her struggles. She doesn’t know why God hasn’t healed her or why she’s going through these new trials, but her trust in the sovereignty and goodness of God is solid.
So, tonight I invite you to praise God with me for the healing He so graciously blessed me with and to pray for Joni and others who lean on His grace as they continue to deal with pain.
Amazed by God’s goodness,
Brenda
