My dear Siestas, talk to me today about miracles. I know some people who could use one. Take some stones of remembrance this day and be used of God to build up somebody’s faith. Ground rules: No exaggerations. No make believe. Just pure honest Biblical truth about what you know your God can do from first hand experience.
You guys are so dear to me.
Lord Jesus, show up in a mighty visitation this week in our community. You are our Hope and our Salvation. In You we place our trust. The very sign of that first Christmas was a miracle: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means, ‘God with us.'” O Come, O Come Immanuel. So many need to know You are here. Grant us eyes to see and hearts to love. You are our everything. Thank You for Your goodness to us.
In 2005 about 6 months before my son’s accident and head injury that would ultimately end his life, our entire church walked through a very similar incident with one of our college-aged students at church. The young man was in a single car accident where his car rolled several times and he was thrown from it. He had fallen asleep at the wheel. His mother and step-father worked for a local airline on overseas flights and both were away. The miracle part is that he had been to church that morning and was on his way home when it happened. Had it been in the middle of the night we might not have found him ’til morning. Care Flite delivered him to a local hospital and many of our church family were present and praying for him throughout the day while his parents awaited their flights back stateside.
Many of us were allowed to go back and see him. I will never in my life forget the way he looked lying in that hospital emergency room. His skin was an ashen color, his eyes fixed and dilated. They looked like glass baby doll eyes as they stared blankly at the ceiling. His hands and feet were posturing and many of the nurses who had seen him said it did not look good.
Three days later this same young man who was so near death was sitting up with yelling at his mom when we came through the door of his hospital room in ICU. He later joined the Marines and as far as I know he is still out there living and thriving — and we have not ceased in declaring the Lord’s glory in that season.
When my own journey through Justin’s accident came a few months later, we believed God would provide a miracle for him as well. In the end, I believe I got a miracle… God is so glorified, my family is thriving and my son is safely in his heavenly Father’s arms suffering no more.
In life and in death the Lord provides, works miracles and reveals Himself fully as He is… We just have to trust Him through it.
Blessings and love LPM family!
Michelle, what a deeply touching story of God’s faithfulness. Sometimes the most astounding miracle is when we don’t get the one we sought and God makes US the miracle. His sustaining grace brings us through to the detriment of the kingdom of darkness.
Oops! I think that I put this in the wrong place.
What a wonderful and loving God we serve ! Thanks for sharing.
Linda
Michelle- Just wanted to write you a note to let you know that I accidently posted where people are supposed to comment to you.(so sorry!) Your AMAZING! Your love and faith in our Lord Jesus is truly inspiring.
You bless me indeed, Happy Heart. Thank you for your sweet words of encouragement. God’s AMAZING… I’m available! Without Him I’m a mess. 🙂 I’m grateful He uses something that was so painful in my life to show off His glory in all the good He did to us as we find ourselves to oddly blessed in the aftermath of such a loss. [Hug]
Amen, Beth. Thank you. I have to say that in this context because the Lord drew me into a deeply personal relationship through the very Bible studies that drew me to this blog in the few years before my son’s death. Without those seasons of digging deeply into His Word, I’d have never realized the faithfulness of His promises in my own story. You bless me, still – even as I’ve moved into a new season and new opportunities to grow. Love to you.
You sound very grounded in the Lord. God bless you. I was blessed to read your story.
Thank you, Lisa. I try to remain close to Him every step of the journey. Some days are better than others, but I know Him whom I’ve believed, and I know His promises are true – truer still. Thanks again for responding to my story. 🙂
Michelle
Your healthy heart and great faith and trust has strengthened me this morning. I look forward to meeting your son Justin some day soon. What a sweet
reunion you will have. God bless you and keep you as He holds your son. Your miracle did indeed came; it came on the other side of eternity.
Much love and many hugs!
Roxanne… Okay, I love your name. I don’t know why I love the name Roxanne so much, but I do love it. Thanks so much for sharing your heart with me after reading my comment. What a blessing to know Justin’s legacy is still in the telling of our story and even in death his life still helps others see the wonder of our glorious God. Everything in me that is worthy of your words is His life in me. I’m humbled by all these words. I appreciate you all. A miracle received indeed. Blessings all around. Isaiah 60:20 … Much love. MB
I know that you make God smile. You are a beautiful miracle!
I know He is smiling on you, too, Happy Heart. 🙂 Thank you.
In 2003 my 2 year-old son was diagnosed with autism. We were told he would never speak. If he did, it would only be echolalia (repeating). He would never have friends or any real relationships. He would probably have a low IQ and would struggle in school. We immediately enrolled him in every therapy and resource available to us. Derek improved quickly, and began to speak again at age 2 1/2. When he was 3, we had the opportunity to surround Derek with about 50 people, all trusting God for a miracle. They laid hands on him and prayed for complete healing. The next morning when Derek woke up, he understand several concepts that he couldn’t grasp the day before. He understand yesterday and tomorrow… he understand that Grandma is mommy’s mom, etc. Derek is now indistinguishable from his peers. He speaks completely normally, has many friends, and has an above average IQ. We wouldn’t trade him for anything! We praise God for his miraculous work!!
I was blessed to read this. God bless your son and family. God is awesome!!!!
wow! thank you Jesus!!! what a testimony you all have!
Praise YOU Lord.
Linda
What a beautiful story of God’s glorious healing power. Thank you for sharing! God is still in the miracle business and I’m so glad He showed off in your Derek. I pray the Lord would continue to bless him beyond your wildest dreams. Blessings.
This isn’t really a miracle, but it definitely shows that God is in control and I am very grateful. This past weekend my husband and son went camping with my son’s Cub Scout group. Please know it was my son’s first camp out and he was very excited. My husband knew he was coming down with a cold last Thursday night but he knew he had to go camping. All went well all weekend except Sunday morning when they returned my husband was sick. Running fever and had a nasty cold and cough. My point is I am so thankful he didn’t get sick Friday night or Saturday. Instead, he came down with it Sunday morning when he was coming home. Thank you God!
Just one miracle that I have seen God do, came to mind right away, I guess because I was with that adorable little four year old for about a week last week (hence, why I did not get to post on last Tuesday’s topic. Sorry girls.)
I hope this isn’t too sensative for too many, I know deep, deep hurts come with this topic, but I am so thankful for the miracle that God performed in my sister’s womb, that I just have to share.
My sister was pregnant, four years ago. She had my nephew three years before that and had just recently had a miscarriage. She started having symptoms of a miscarriage one Sunday afternoon. She was quite aware of the symptoms, because of her recent previous miscarriage. She called me and my husband right after we got out of church. We said we would be down at Mom’s right away (which is where she was) and that we would grab some food for everyone. While my husband was in the store, I just cried out to God (and I mean CRIED, literally) Her kids are like mine. I am SUPER close to my nephew and was looking forward to having a relationship like that with the rest of her children. I just told God that we couldn’t handle ‘loosing’ another baby, but prayed for His will. I know that sounds real normal and easy, but it was not…it was through tears and tears and heartbreak, that I was saying this to Him, the One who loves us, the One I love)
I felt the Holy Spirit prompt me to open my Bible. I desperately cried out to God, “I need a Word, from YOU!!!”
My Bible opened to Genesis 18:14(a)”Is anything too hard for the LORD?” (I was in the middle of The Patriarch’s, for the second time)
I couldn’t believe my eyes. You see, my sister had called the doctor, told him what was going on with her and the doctor said that she was having another miscarriage, that we were already loosing the baby. Could even this NOT be too hard for God? I decided to believe Him. I didn’t share this with my sister til after she went to the doctor and found out she had NOT lost our little one, but I was standing on the Word that came from Him, even if it was with weak knees and lots of tears…NOTHING is too hard for God!
And spending the week with a four year old little girl who adores her Aunt Chel (and her Aunt Chel, feels just the same)reminded me again of God’s power!
this story brings tears to my eyes! how i love Jesus! how i love how dear we are to Him and how much He loves us! I am so encouraged by all of your stories! Our God is faithful! Oh how i love Him!
That gave me goosebumps! Thanks for sharing. Our group is in the midst of Patriarchs so I’m right there with you, my sister! Nothing is impossible or too hard for God!
Oh my goodness. I need to stop reading these at work during my lunchbreak…tears and more tears. Lord help all of us to BELIEVE YOU ARE WHO YOU SAY YOU ARE! NOTHING is too hard for our GOD.
Linda
I have witnessed miracles that only God can do! GOD ANSWERS PRAYER. Here are a few: We prayed for several years for Rob, who had a kind of Parkinson’s disease so that he was completely bedridden. People kept praying. Then one day Rob got up and was completely healed. That was in 2004. My son had a cancerous tumor in his lung. People prayed. When the doctor operated it had disappeared. That was in 2000. This year my husband had a suspicious growth on his kidneys. People prayed. Further tests revealed no obstructions. We prayed for friends who were separated for 7 years. This year God healed their marriage. Everything is possible with God. Nothing is too hard for Him. God can do what He says He can do. I believe God!
It was spring of 1983. Our 9 yr old son was very lethargic. He missed so much school the last weeks and if we sent him to school he would fall asleep in classes. Finally one Sunday morning after he got up and was sick to his stomach we decided to take him into the ER. Another Dr thought he just had the flu but it hung on too long. A day later we were on a plane heading for Mayo clinic. Brian had leukemia and though we knew that we were expecting he would do well. Most kids survived ALL in those years already. What we did not know for a week was that Brian had a rare form of ALL. In fact no child had survived Burketts leukemia yet at Mayo. Brian had 2 yrs of very aggressive chemo and radiation and had multiple relapses but two years later he made it to the end of the protocol that held the most promise to bring a lasting remission of the disease. It was a very long hard road but Brian not only survived to the 5 yr mark, he is alive today. The oncologists called him the miracle kid and after him more children started to survive the disease. Yes, it was a miracle and though Brian still suffers from some side affects of the chemo and radiation especially the cranial radiation, he is happy and doing well. We attributed his miracle survival to the hundreds of prayers said in his behalf. We were able to witness of our saving faith in Jesus to many other families struggling at the hospital and give God all the glory.
He is indeed a beautiful miracle…
Praise God. So happy for your family.
Linda
My first grandchild was diagnosed with a severe and often fatal heart condition before she was born. My daughter was sent from KY to MI to deliver her first baby with the knowledge that the baby would have open heart surgery after birth. The heart surgeon in MI was the only person the pediatric cardiologist in KY would recommend for this severe condition. What we had that no one recommended was the GREAT PHYSICIAN up above in on the surgery on our Kylie when she was 8 days old. Now she will celebrate her 5th Christmas and has only a heart murmur. “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.”
I just want to speak to any other readers who suffer with infertility and have read the wonderful “miracle baby” stories in the comments today. We had one child 22 years ago without any trouble, but never could have another. I never got pregnant again while trying for 5 straight years, and adoption never worked out for us. The miracle for me was that God gave us the grace to accept that He was saying “No” to us. For some reason He wanted our child to be an only child, and I learned to trust that God has His reasons. Just saying, some of you may need to hear that not everyone gets a baby that asks, but that doesn’t mean God’s not blessing you in a million other ways. His grace truly is sufficient. Whether He says yes to your request for a baby or no, He is a good God and knows what is best.
The other miracle story I wish to share happened when I responded to God’s call to serve Him overseas for a year with a missionary family in France in 1983. I had great courage till the day came to leave, and then realized on the plane that I was taking a huge step leaving all my friends and family behind at the ripe old age of 22. I put my head down and cried on my tray table. When I looked up, the young lady next to me started asking me about the reason for my trip. Turns out she was a woman who had become a Christian a few years before, but she had lost that close feeling to Christ about the time she started living with her boyfriend. Something about my decision to leave everything to follow Jesus to a foreign country brought her to tears. She knew she needed to get right with God again, and we were both crying by the time the plane landed. She said she knew God brought us together on that plane for a reason.
When I had a layover in Paris hours later, there were no English-speaking people around. I had heavy luggage to tote, as my flights weren’t connecting flights. I had to get on a bus on the tarmac to get to another flight quickly. I was having a hard time lifting my big suitcase, and a little man with a foreign accent said to me in English, “You must hurry, you will miss your plane!” He lifted my suitcase into the bus as if it held feathers, and I hopped into the bus as the doors closed and it pulled away. I turned to thank the little man with the foreign accent, but . . . THERE WAS NO LITTLE MAN! I looked around the bus, then looked out the window to the tarmac as we pulled away, but still, there was no little man anywhere. I believe God sent an angel that day to get me to my destination. I haven’t seen an angel since, but I sure have seen God come through in a million ways over the years.
Lizzie, thank you so much for reminding us that sometimes miracles are what happen in our hearts, not our surroundings. I think of Beth’s proclamation in “Living Beyond Yourself” that “God can do more than change your life — he can change your DAY!” When we only have enough faith for the minute, enough light for the step we’re on, we don’t need our life changed, we need our day, our heart changed. And that can be the greatest miracle of all.
WOW. Loved your story….angels among us..
Linda
Short and sweet:
I have four children, which could/should have been IMPOSSIBLE to have and feed due to both a birth defect around my pituitary and polycystic ovarian syndrome. I was even able to breastfeed each of them for a time.
My husband nearly died from a ruptured appendix–ruptured 3 days! The “poison” was encapsulated. When they went to do a laproscopic appendectomy, they realized it had ruptured and he has a huge shark bite scar, but he is alive. He is a miracle.
Praying for you all. “Let not your hearts be troubled…” Praying that over you.
Holly, Your story came to mind when I was reading this blog from our Precious Beth! I was totally humbled and blessed to PRAY OVER YOUR HUSBAND during this time of fear. WE KNOW WHO OUR REDEEMER IS!!!!!!!
Love you sweet friend!
One of my sons had severe depression most of his young life. (he’s okay with me telling this story)
He was diagnosed with bi-polar at 12. By the time he was 18, he dropped out of high school the week before his senior year started.I thought I would die of a broken heart as I watched him waste his life. We were told by a psychologist that he would never be able to hold down a job. We made him leave our home and live in a christian homeless shelter for a year. He “graduated” their program and started a new life living in a room to rent in someones house and doing menial labor. It was HEARTBREAKING as a parent to make these choices but we knew we had to administer tough love. We prayed and cried. He got his GED. He got a job in a mail room on a college campus delivering mail to students. He became interested in college. He took out loans and applied for financial aid by himself and got it. He graduated from a wonderful private 4 yr. college. We reconciled and he got his own apartment. He applied for more loans and financial aid and got his Masters Degree in Exercise Physiology. He is going on to get his PH.d. He has not had any symptoms of bi-polar or depression for 10 years. He is 28 now and a MIRACLE!! He says I love you every time he says good-bye to me. What happened with my son has given many a mother hope for a hopeless child!! Thank you, God for giving me my son back!
Thanks for sharing this story. Your son is lucky that you loved him enough to do the hard thing. Praising God for the man he has become.
Linda
This is a fun one that popped into my mind – fun in that it is concise – unlike others that I might be apt to chat about 🙂
…and it has to do with Alaska! This took place a number of years ago. A group of high school age summer Bible campers had climbed an impressively tall mountain in the wiles of Alaska. Many who had climbed weren’t wearing the appropriate footwear nor had they appropriate clothing. The day had started sunny and warm. But during the ascent, clouds rolled in, a cold front bore down, and it started raining mercilessly. A heavy mountain fog draped the peak and the group of high schoolers huddled for warmth on top (the adults had all needed to escort various campers off the mountain during the course of the hike up. In retrospect there were lots of “outdoor lessons” that were learned from this little escapade). The fog became so thick on top of the mountain that the kids couldn’t see more than a couple feet in front of them. One of the young men in the group called everyone together and they huddled up next to each other, shaken and visibly shaking because of the cold, rain and fog. “We can’t stay up here because of the cold (hypothermia in Alaska, even in the middle of summer, is nothing to mess around with), but we can’t go down since we can’t see anything. We need to ask God to lift the clouds and let us find the trail that leads us off the peak.” With that, he prayed a simple, faith-filled prayer. Immediately the fog lifted just enough for them to see the trail that led down. They made their way over to it and, holding hands, started the slow, laborious process of inching their way down the steep mountain path. Interestingly, as soon as they found the trailhead, the clouds settled back down and they were once again shrouded by dense fog. But for that minute or two, just enough time to let them find the start of the trail, the fog had lifted – and it was immediately after the prayer was prayed for God to, “please lift the fog so we can find the trail.” Don’t know about anyone else, but in my book, that’s a certifiable miracle.
They eventually all made it back to camp. There was great relief (because we knew God had totally saved us despite our folly). I was one of the young campers who had stayed back at camp – and prayed desperately for the group when we realized they were stranded in terrible weather on top. My older brother was the one who prayed for God to lift the fog. This miracle was not only the highlight of that week of camp – but a highlight from my high school years.
Thanks for the opportunity to re-live it. (That’s what’s great about miracles: they build our faith whether they happened this morning; thirty years ago; or on the pages of Scripture).
Fog in Alaska,
I really enjoyed reading your story. One year I was thinking about how warm it was and for some reason God put this thought in my mind, “do you think I can do anything?” I said I know you can, but God put in the thought of how about snow. Well, it was awful warm for snow, but the next day it did snow! God is amazing and He really does make me laugh sometimes.
Of course, some people blame the Oklahoma weather.
WOW!!!
I heard this story as a kid ( growing up in alaska). So cool to hear it again from a first hand account!
Loved hearing this Carolyn. Thanks for sharing.
Linda
Great story! Thanks for sharing it. It seems to have a strong parallel to our walk of faith. Sometimes God gives us just enough light to get us out of a dead-end place and onto the right path. We may not be able to see very far or make rapid progress, but God sets our feet back on solid ground in response to our prayer for direction. I’m glad you remembered this story and the part you and your brother both had in it.
By the way, we are Cold in Florida today!
I live with Spina Bifida which is a birth defect that occurs only days after conception in which there’s an opening in the spine that doesn’t close properly. Most often, it causes paralysis and many internal complications which is my case.
When I was born in the mid 70’s, little was known about it and my parents were told I only had two weeks to live. If I did live, my only hope was to be a vegetable who wouldn’t walk, talk, go to school or do anything a “normal” person would do. Drs. advised them to send me to an institution too die peacefully. Not even their minister gave them encouragement to believe otherwise. So they found a place and took me there. It became obvious to staff and admin. that I didn’t belong there since I was interacting with people as much as an infant could, including sounds and talking.
Eventually, I was adopted by one of the nurses and her family. God began working to prove all that had been said about me wrong. With the help of a body brace and walker, I walked. I attended public school and had friends with whom I participated in activities such as field trips, plays, concerts, marching band…..the list could go on.
In adulthood, I drive a van (with hand controls)and have recently moved into a place independantly. I have regressed a little. For health reasons, I haven’t walked in 5 years. In the last few years I have truly grown in faith and belief in God and what he can do especially spiritually speaking. I no longer live my life by “what if,” fear or unhealthy ways of relating in order to be loved or accepted. This can be hard since people don’t always like a changed person. In this time of relational challenges with family, I’m so thankful for El Roi (the God who sees me) and knows me, my heart and everything about me. I’d be nothing without Him.
WOW, Kara. You have quite an astounding story. May Christ continue to show Himself mighty to you. You are a tremendous joy to Him. I’d be nothing without Him, too.
Thanks Beth, God Bless!
God bless you Kara. I am moved by your testimony! You are awesome.
Thank you! 🙂
Kara,
Love your testimony of hope and healing. I am a nurse in a public high school where I have the priviledge of working with many student with handicapping conditions – a few of which have the same as yourself. God has taught me so much through these students and the amazing abilities they have that so often most of us don’t recognize. Pray God blesses you to continue to be a voice for his glory!
Thanks Merrie, it’s nice to hear you say you have “many” students with disabilities in your school. Growing up, there was just me, my sister and maybe one other person.
What a beautiful story.
Thanks Jill!
Awe, God is so good as I reflect on the multitudes of miracles He’s been the author of in my lifetime… my “stones of remembrance” make for a mountain of beautiful rock- of course, when most were happening I didn’t recognize them as miracles at the time until I looked back on them later in life. There are way too many to list, but a few real life miracles~
*just being alive after so many stupid choices I made as a teenager…
*overcoming eating disorders (anorexia & bulimia) as a teenager…
*setting me free…
*restoring my broken marriage (more than once)…
*the miracle of God’s comfort & grace with my sister when she lost her only child in a car accident last year…
*every breathe He gives us on this earth!
Every day we are given on this earth is a miracle and worthy of praise; I so often take for granted. Thank you for challenging us to ponder, share and praise Him.
Love, Teri
Corpus Christi, Texas
I have 2 favorite miracles: The first one will be four in January. The 28th of this month will be his 3 year anniversary “Gotcha Day.” My husband and I believed that God was calling our family to adopt a child from Korea, but foreign adoption is expensive. He kept calling us to BELIEVE Him and He would do it. People we didn’t know, people we barely knew and friends walked up to us over the course of 6 months and handed us thousands of dollars at a time. We asked no one for money; they heard about us and God told them to give. We applied for 2 grants and received one, but the majority came from other donations. We landed in Korea on Christmas Day, 3 years ago and met our son the next day. He is definitely our boy. I’m so glad we BELIEVED that our God can do miracles.
The second is a 43 year old prayer request that was answered this summer. My mom has been praying for my grandparents salvation since she was 16. I’ve prayed for them for as long as I can remember since receiving Christ myself as a child. This summer, my 89 year old grandfather’s health was in steady decline. A cousin of mine presented the Gospel ONE MORE TIME and my grandfather and my 91 year old grandmother accepted Christ! My grandfather passed away a month later and while my grandmother is grieving, she is BELIEVING! She has also begun to attend church! We had a conversation about GRACE on the phone the other day. It is truly a MIRACLE! God is good!
Laura,
What a blessing your story is!
My grandmother was a Christian, but my grandfather wasn’t a Christian for years. One day a preacher can by presented the gospel to him and he accepted Christ and was baptized. He was in his late 80’s and he lived one more year after he accepted Christ.
Truly a miracle.
This is one miracle I will never forget! The death of my Lord Jesus on the cross for me.
I was so full of bondage, drugs, gambling, having an affair on my husband, so full of sin and our Lord saved me from that. His blood has covered my sin.
I look back and see how deep of a pit I was in and can only know it was the Lord Jesus himself! He resuced me, restored me, forgave me, healed me. He healed my marriage, I was able to confess everything, all of it to my husband and God gave him the strength to hear it and forgive me. My husband is so great to me after all I did to him. Thats God working in our life! I praise him for picking me up and restoring me! Praise be to Him!
I have been a long time reader of the blog, but this is the first time I have felt compelled to respond.
In my 20 years of life, I have become very familiar and grateful for the healing hand of God. I was born with a disease called Cystic Fibrosis, which affects the lungs and digestive system and sends me into the hospital frequently for many different reasons. Through the MANY trials this disease has caused me, none have shown me how mighty and powerful God is than when I almost died on three different occasions, due to complications of CF.
When the doctors did not know what was going on inside of me, He knew. When they said that they did not know if I was going to make it, He knew. He has always known what stands before me! Even though many trials still arise in my life, He has taught me to not only trust Him, but to rest and delight in Him and whatever happens is to His will alone. I do not write this to say how much of a ‘miracle’ I am, but to give witness and encouragement of the One and Only God!
Kelsey,
So glad you shared your story! You are an encouragement! God bless you!
Awesome…God Bless!
What a witness! You are such an encouragement to many who read your story. I am thankful that you shared and glad you took that step in posting something. We share the commonality to be faithful readers but rarely post something. Have come to realize it is nice and safe, and comforting to share things with such great and loving sisters in Christ! Thank you!
Feel compelled to ask how I can pray for you…it would be an honor~!
In 2007 my husband was diagnosed with double lymphoma. In early 2008 after 8 rounds of chemo (which he lost his hair but was NEVER sick) he was declared to be in remission:)The type of lymphoma he had was labeled non-curable. He was told he would need a stem cell transplant but when we went in for the initial appointment after chemo, they told us it was not recommended at that time.
In July 2008 he was let go from his job and we have been unemployed for 28 months. Our family of 9 has never been hungry. We are trusting God to continue to provide for our family…We have seen multiple miracles during our last three years of what the world would call a crisis in our lives. Food has been delivered to our doorstep when we were running low, gas cards would show up in the mail when our car’s tanks were dry, people have brought us money when we had a vital bill to pay without knowing our circumstances…our children have seen the handiwork of God in a mighty way.
We are continuing to trust during a very critical time in our finances. This Christmas season (as always) we want our children to see their parents praising God in the good AND bad times:) We want them to see us trusting in the God who does provide miracles in our lifetime. We want them to remember the miraculous provision for our family!
Several years ago my primary doctor sent me to a specialist to rule out Lupus. My liver enzymes and labs were all out of range and the specialist decided to recheck them with other testing. During this time, we all prayed, especially my dear mother. When I followed up with him, he couldn’t believe the difference! He asked me, “what happened??” In my weak faith but with my mother’s strong prayers I said, “ughhhh, my mother prayed for me!” He then said, ‘well can she pray for me too!” Great Lord!
In 2005, I was diagnosed with 99.9% chance of having thyroid cancer. Two doctors and many tests including a needle biopsy showed this “sure” percentage of having cancer. With three small children at home, I was facing surgery and therapy after surgery. Along with the surgery I was also facing a long-term leave from my teaching job due to the radioactive therapy I would need, which my husband and I could not afford. In the weeks leading up to my surgery, I kept coming upon the verse in Exodus, “I AM THE LORD WHO HEALS YOU.” Three times I heard this verse in three weeks – christian radio, devotion, and at a church service. After I woke up from surgery, the doctor said they only took half of my thyroid, because the mass looked “contained” and initial lab reports said it was NOT cancer. In the end, everything came back completely benign, and I know it was the Lord who healed me. Praise you, Father.
It was just May that I couldn’t walk from my couch to the kitchen without being out of breathe and exhausted. Doctor after doctor told me I needed antidepressants. (ugh) I wasn’t depressed, just couldn’t physical do anything. Being single and out of sick days at work was hard! I prayed and prayed for God to heal me but He was teaching me to walk with Him thru it(even though at times I couldn’t see or feel it) He lead me to a doctor in of all places, Houston Texas. (I live in Ga.) I called in March and they encouraged me until I made it out there in May. God had brought a wonderful friend in my life who lived in of all places, Texas. I got out there and she took over and got me to the Doctor. (just getting to the Atl airport and out there was so difficult-I was past exhausted) But I knew that God was leading me there. After spending 4 hours with the Doctor, I found out what I thought was the problem all along but the doctors wouldn’t listen-my body had stopped making hormones. All along I felt God saying that was the problem and He was with me. They started me one by one on all five. Today I am back to work at my job, (I am a P.E. teacher!)playing with my kids at school and here is how awesome He is. I have been financially in a bind because of missing so much work. He has met my needs but this is what brings tears to my eyes. He gave me a second part-time job and in the area of my passion-photography! If you would have told me in May I would be working 2! jobs I would say you were crazy! And to be doing what I love and having the ability to catch up on my bills! Wow what a God!!
Here is my story on the doctor’s radio show. They are working on the sound but thought I would post the address if that is ok 🙂
http://www.livestream.com/healthwellnesssolutions/video?clipId=pla_b0e28de1-7cba-4a83-8d84-6694baa7c557&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb
This is posted in love and with much tears. My prayer is that the church wake up and return to the One true God…the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob…
I beg you to do your research on the origins of Christmas…we cannot make holy what he has called unholy. Please read the account of what happened in Exodus chpt 32..God was not pleased.
“Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins,so that you will not receive any of her plagues;” Rev 18:4
I wrote this peom almost three years ago…for those of you who have been curious as to how I started walking this way, here it is. 🙂 Enjoy!
Twas the Night before the”C” Word
Twas the night before the “c” word and all through our home,
Not a decoration to be found as I lay awake all alone.
Within my heart there arose questions that were in need of explanation,
I reached for my journal to dictate the revelation.
This would be the first year out of all twenty-two of which I’ve been alive,
That we would not be celebrating the holiday….At first I wondered how we’d survive!
In the still of the night I started to pray,
“Lord how can we change if it’s always been this way?”
“Lord we have celebrated this holiday for years!”
And he turned his face to me with his eyes full of tears.
“They worship me the way they want and not the ways I have said,
Like keeping the feasts of tabernacles or unleavened bread!
What happened to the Israelites when they worshiped me with their graven calf?
Was I not angered and did I not pour out my wrath?”
“The church worships their own way, which is pagan and sin.
They choose for themselves their own days all of which I was never in.”
The meaning of the word “mass” is actually “a service for the dead”,
The fact that we put “Merry” and “Christ” before it filled me with dread!
I opened the word and studied his ways,
I looked at his law and learned of God’s appointed days.
I fell on my knees repenting for the laws I had broken
Keeping the traditions of man and the lies I had once lived and spoken.
A time of year I once found joy in, I cannot take anymore,
I see satan’s lies stock piled on every shelf of every store.
This year the “c” word was just like every other day, the same,
To be totally honest, I found it quite lame.
I saw people stressed, weighed down with heavy burden and care,
Believing they’re free from the law but actually caught in satan’s snare.
I have seen disappointment, selfishness and greed,
But in all the bondage they still give to those in need.
So how can something that seems right be so wrong?
I looked to the Lord for the answer and it didn’t take long.
“The ways of the world that seem right, bid them a due,
For I hold my children to a higher standard and have great plans for you!”
“It won’t be easy, persecution will come and your pain will be great,
But it’s not you they are denying, for it’s me who they hate.”
“My yoke may be light but to fallow me you must pay the cost,
Your life will be an example and bring truth to the lost.
”Lord please bless those who are believing these lies,
That were past from our forefathers, please open their eyes!
And if it is me who is wrong please show me the truth,
So my life is not wasted in the flower of my youth.
Lord, give me strength in these days, for the world my heart is breaking,
Standing up for the truth sure is a big undertaking!
He filled me with joy and said, “Stick with me my daughter,
And I promise we’ll get though this pagan holiday! I won’t send you to slaughter!”
Now bowing my head and wiping the tears from my eyes,
I praised the Lord for revealing to me and my family these lies.
I pray now Lord; fill the world with the light,
The truth of Yeshua, the one true Messiah and to all a good night!
I wroke on the “c” word with this poem in my head,
The Lord spoke to me, “put it on paper instead!”
I am sorry if this poem has left a sour taste in your mouth or made your jaw drop to the floor,
I’ll take off my mask because I am not hiding anymore!
So take from this poem whatever you willI know it can be hard to swallow this pill,
I’ve done it many times before; it took a few tries,
But with each time, it diminished in size!
For the time that it stuck, it was easy to take,
All because my heart was softened for truth’s sake!
Grr, now I can’t stop speaking in rhyme!
If you have questions and would like to discuss this further over coffee,
Feel free to give me a call anytime!
Sincerely; Miss Dana .M. Zulauf
This last May on Mother’s Day I was diagnosed with a brain anuerysm that was sitting on the carotid artery behind my right eye. I was told if it was sitting in the subdural space and it burst it would be immediately fatal. My family and everyone that knew me was scared out of their minds. But God gave me a peace that I knew could only come from Him. In the time of waiting for the brain angiogram to tell me whether or not I needed brain surgery,people I worked with would come up to me and tell me how brave I was. I would tell them it was my faith that sustains me. They in turn would say I know, it’s written all over your face. When I had the angiogram of my brain the neurourgeon said – if your going to have an aneurysm it couldn’t be in a better place. It’s not life threatening and there’s no need to even check it with an MRI again. It was better news than I even dreamed it would be. The people in my life call me the “Miracle Girl”
kind of embarassing, but so thankful for my miracle just the same.
In September 2007, I was advised that my position was being eliminated along with several others in a company-wide downsizing. I was offered another position and told I could keep my substantial base salary. However, before that alternate position was offered, God advised me not to accept that role when it would be offered. He told me it was time to step out. He said, ‘Trust Me, you will see My faithfulness.’ This would be intimidating for anyone but proved a true challenge since I am a single-mom.
For the past three years, I have applied for countless positions without success – but for two positions which I could not take (which I now believe were ‘faithfulness tests’). For 3+ years, God has kept me and my three sons. Things have not been easy, but I have walked on His Word and He has made provision – sending people by with groceries or money and granting me favor. He has also kept us in our home all this time – although it was scheduled to be sold almost three months ago. To me it has been a miracle, a 2010 Zarephath story (I Kings 17). He promised I would see His faithfulness and I have. God can be trusted to take care of His children no matter what is happening in their lives and in the world. I am so thankful. Praise God!
Two years ago, my then two-year old son came down with a high fever that became very difficult to control over the course of the night and next day. We took him to the doctor two times during that period, just to be told that he had a viral infection and keeping giving tylenol for the fever. That afternoon, I just knew he did not look “right” and his fever was back up to 104 degrees after a double-dose of tylenol. We packed up and took him to the “after hours” doctor in our area that treat emergencies. They were concerned about him and tried several times to draw blood without success. They got his fever down a little, and were ready to send us home, again thinking it was a virus. Just as we were leaving, the nurse came in and wanted to try one more time to draw his blood, this time with success. Immediately after checking his blood they knew something was very wrong, with white blood cell count over 75,000. Never did I imagine I would be riding in the back of an ambulance with my youngest baby boy during this illness, but there we were. We arrived at the Children’s Hosptial and were placed in quarintine. I remembered hearing whispers of menigitis, leukemia, etc, and really not understanding the full picture of what was happening. It is only through God’s grace and protection that the events of that night fell into place the way they did. My son had a serious bacterial infection in his blood, and without treament right away, the bacteria could have done irreversable damage to his organs, brain, bones, and the real possibility of death. He spent 5 days in the hospital and recovered fully. The memory I will always carry with me, is my little two-year boy looking up to me, tired and weak after we arrived home, and he said, “MAMA, DID YOU KNOW THAT GOD WAS HOLDING ME IN THE HOSPITAL?” My baby boy was held by our God, thank you Father.
That’s just like our God, isn’t it! What a wonderful story!
What a powerful witness! I can’t help but think this could be our witness to those who are hurting and to those who have children that are hurting.
May God bless you!
Shine your light and tell your story…theres hope in that!
I read your website thru a friends blog! My daughter is a miracle in two ways! After three plus years of infertility and numerous IUI’s, she was the result of our first IVF! I had a pretty easy pregnancy and then at 34 weeks she was born with a volvulus, which is a twisting of the intestines! She had surgery right away, and the doctor told us that it was up to her to fight, or we let her go to God.. That is very hard to hear after just having your first baby hours earlier! She slowly with many prayers and a big miracle came out of the NICU after five weeks! She is now a healthy nine month old… I used to question everything before her and like our doctor said “if you didn’t believe before, you should now!” I also have a sign on top of the room to her door that says “Believe in Miracles.. Miracles do happen to those that believe in them!!”
My son, his friend, and I were involved in a traffic accident with 7 cars and 2 semi-trucks. The truck we were in was totaly destroyed but our air bags never went off and we were not hurt. I KNOW that God protected us.
My oldest son went through several years of VERY troubled times. My husband and I were absolutely devastated. It is a miracle that my son and my husband can be in the same room together, and even enjoy each other’s company. It may not sound like a miracle but it would take a book to explain all we went through and how God brought us all through it. I’ll praised him forever for this!!
My life has many standing stones of remembrance for what God has miraculously done for me.
One that stands out the most is the miracle of my youngest son. At 22 weeks of pregnancy I became a mystery patient for my Dr. There was very little amniotic fluid, he appeared to have stopped growing, and I was sent to a specialist. They did an amniocentesis but gave me very little hope for a good outcome. The Dr started talking about abortion options in other states, and I didn’t even get what he was saying it was so far from my comprehension. We waited for the longest 2 weeks of my life to get the results.
Many, many people started praying for us. When we went back to the specialist for the appointment they said I didn’t need the first meeting with the genetics counselor, and to just go to the ultrasound room. I asked if that was good, and the nurse said yes, very good. At that appointment they couldn’t give me any answers but just said for me to stay on bed rest, and be monitored by my Dr twice a week for the next 3 1/2 months.
Each week we kept up the monitoring, and every week my husband and other 2 sons would go to church and give an update. We had so many family, friends, and all their churches praying for us. I don’t sit still well, and the fact that I stayed in bed for that long is a small miracle in itself. After the roller coaster ride of this pregnancy my son was delivered by c-section at 35 weeks. Though the cord had been around his neck 3 times, and the tests showed his lungs shouldn’t have been cleared to breath, we heard the most precious cry you could ever hear! There wasn’t a dry eye in that OR! Almost 15 years later he is a trying teenager who I wouldn’t have missed a minute of raising.
The many other wonders that came from this miracle are the ways we were all changed in our family and church. I was just “doing church” before God put me literally on my back to get my attention. (He is now my real priority, I did learn that lesson.)I know God doesn’t always answer these prayers the way mine did,and for the many who didn’t have the same outcome I am truly sorry. God has used this experience for me to minister to many other mothers through the years,because as you know we minister the most from our personal experiences.
My daughter cried for the first 18 mths of her life for hours and hours. She wouldn’t sleep and had many issues during the night. I searched out every medicine or natural remedy there was. After three different acid reflux medicines, she finally got a little better but still had a horrible time sleeping. She would not sleep over 1 to 2 hours at the most at at time, would cry out in pain, squirm and wrestle with herself almost. As a very worn out and stressed mom with an older 2 year old, I was at my wits end. I began seeing the Lord speak to me that after all my praying and “begging” him and almost literally loosing my mind, I learned the miracle He had provided was there, what He did on the cross was more than enough to conquer this! He showed me this was a spiritual matter rather than a purely physical one. I began fasting for wisdom and had some sisters who graciously fasted with me. It was about 2 to 3 weeks once we started fasting when the Lord began showing me things to pray over her specifically. He revealed things in my life that were road blocks to this answered prayer. A very long story short,within 1 to 2 days of this specific prayer, repentance He had showed me to do, and anointing her, she was healed! She began sleeping and had no more stomach or acid reflux problems. It was all GOD. She did not grow out of! HE revealed things to me that I did not even know before and she became a NEW child! Sleeping like “a baby” and eating anything she wanted, my daughter’s story was a true miracle the Lord did for me! He grew my faith during these 18mths, and I will never take a sleeping baby for granted again!!!!
Our God is HEALER!
A few years ago I was super depressed, filled with anger, and walking misery about not being able to live where I wanted to live. I was doing your Paul study-you were talking about life passing people by because they get so focused on an issue. The same time my pastor did a teaching on people getting so focused on their “dot” they miss the whole picture of what God is trying to do. So that night I went home and prayed, telling God He can have my dot, that I know it’s not His will I be so depressed. I woke the next morning completely filled with joy-and what a sense of humor God has-He went beyond what I asked and made me love where I live. My husband still shocked to this day.
AWESOME! Sounds like I need to hear your pastor’s message….I’m trying to hand over my “dot” to the Lord and leave it with Him.
Thanks, Lisa.
This made me laugh. I believe God has a terrific sense of humor.
God did a true miracle in my life by bringing my husband and I together 18 years ago. We have both dealt with many negative consequences from bad choices in our lives, but God allowed some of those choices to result in our coming to know each other. Together we have grown in our relationship to the Lord – leaps and bounds! And though we still suffer the consequences of making bad choices, we just do it together now. 🙂
I read these posts every week, but for some reason have never commented, today I feel compelled to write.
The miracle that I witnessed is my son Owen. I found out that I was pregnant with him when I had some unexpected bleeding…I thought something was wrong, instead I found out I was pregnant. At about 10 weeks I experienced some very heavy bleeding and we were sure that we were losing him. He hung on and continued to create commotion throughout my pregnancy…
At about 30 weeks I was measuring very large (full-term) so the high-risk OB recommended another ultra-sound. Everything looked fine. My regular OB wanted to do non-stress tests through the rest of the pregnancy but the high-risk OB wanted one more ultra-sound, with his ultra-sound tech…
It was at this appointment that she detected that my son had a Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. His abdominal contents were in his chest cavity inhibiting lung growth and moving his heart to the side. This is a birth defect that has a 50% survival rate. We had to relocate to another city for his birth at a hospital that could better care for him. If we had delivered in our local hospital he would have been life-flighted at birth. He was immediately intubated at birth, had surgery at 3 days, was on the ventilator for a week and in the NICU for almost a month.
At 3 1/2 years old he is a constant inspiration to me. Every time I see his small scars, I am reminded of all that we went through with him and all that God delivered us from and carried us through.
I have a past that is very similar to Beth’s. The chances of me ever having kids biologically were very low. After my husband and I got married, we started trying right away. We doctored a little bit for infertility, but they could find nothing physically wrong with me. So we offered up our prayers and surrendered our plans for whatever the Lord might have for us in terms of children. Two years into our marriage we decided to adopt from South America, but God changed our path with an e-mail about a little 6 month old little boy with Down Syndrome. After a lot of prayer and anguish as to what to do, we were blessed to bring home this awesome baby, who is now 7 years old. After two years of seeing the Lord perform miracle after miracle in Cody’s life, we were called again to adopt an infant girl with a severe neurological disorder. Again, we saw God perform miracle after miracle in Cate’s life in regards to huge health concerns. We have been so blessed by these two miracles and our cups have been overflowing ever since. BUT last January right before I was to fly out to the Siesta weekend in Houston, we found out after 8 years of marriage that I was in deed pregnant! Ladies, you cannot imagine how shocked we were, but yet we knew it was such a miracle from God because we had not be trying to get pregnant (well, besides for the obvious:)! Chloe was born on August 20th, 2010 and she and I were able to go to the LPL conference in South Dakota just a few short weeks ago. In the recap video, Rich took the most precious photo of us with me holding her and both of us with our eyes closed worshiping a God who in deed still performs miracles of redemption and love and healing yet today! AMEN
Tami, I just watched that recap and marveled over your picture!! Congratulations!! I also have a son with Down’s….pure joy 🙂
My brother had a heart attack while driving and ran into a school. His heart stopped. A lady from a nearby church heard the crash, and ran to his car and did CPR until EMT came. She’s a former ER nurse. It is a miracle that God put her specifically there, as my brother would have been brain dead, or died if CPR had not started before the EMT arrived. It is so totally awesome and I give God all the glory for sparing his life.
Hi Everyone,
I usually just lurk around here but I do love having a reason to tell this story! It was a Sunday morning in 1991 when I was 13 years old. My mom was making a dessert for company that was coming later that day, and she ruined it. When my dad heard her exclamation, he turned his head to look at her and when he turned back, his eyes were doing this weird thing where they were split at like 10 and 2 on the clock, basically, and he was seeing double. They took him to the hospital for tests and we were told he had had a small stroke, and they were going to keep him for observation. Later that afternoon, we were sitting in his hospital room when he became drowsy and was nodding off while trying to eat. My mom called for a nurse and the room quickly filled with medical personnel. My little brother and I went to wait in the hall, and the next thing I knew my dad was being wheeled by us and into Intensive Care, he had lapsed into a coma. What they thought was a small stroke was actually a massive blood clot at the base of his brain. When a stroke is one side of the brain or another, that’s when speech or motor skills are threatened. The brain stem is the gateway to everything. We were told in no uncertain terms that he would not live through the night, and that if he did he would be a vegetable for the rest of his life. As the night progressed, he slipped deeper and deeper into the coma, was no longer responding to pain stimuli, and they were preparing to put him on life support. My mom was on the phone at the nurses’ station with our friends in California who were praying, when she heard the nurses saying, “Get his wife, get his wife!” and she thought, this is it, he’s gone. Instead when she went into the room, my dad was awake, and talking, and had no idea what all the fuss was about. His neurologist had gone home for the evening and didn’t believe the nurse who called to tell him that my dad was awake. The hospital staff later joked that we got the award for the most clergy they had ever seen at a patient’s bedside, since 2 of our pastors were there and we called in a priest for my Catholic grandmother’s sake. Dad was in the coma for a total of 6 hours. In the subsequent days he was checked out by specialists from all over the state (we live near all the great Boston teaching hospitals) but they had no explanation for where that clot went. To this day his doctor calls my dad his “miracle man.”
I LOVE hearing these miracles! Thank you, Beth, for encouraging us to testify to each other. I’m in need of just a little bitty miracle right now…
Miracles that I readily think of are: my marriage. We were done. Completely done. We just didn’t have the energy to leave, nor the money for a lawyer (or 2 houses). God very slowly pieced us back together, led us to godly counsel, and surrounded us with praying friends. That was 6 years ago and I cannot TELL you the rich blessings of still being married to that man. No, the marriage isn’t perfect. No, he isn’t perfect. The fact that each of us still adore each other today — truly a miracle of the Lord.
My dad: has the weirdest medical history anyone has ever seen, and at one of his check-ups at M.D. Anderson, tumors were found in his lungs. They were so small, no one was concerned, not even sure they were actually tumors. Another check-up revealed that the tumors were growing, although VERY slowly, and a biopsy revealed that they were malignant (but not lung cancer — they were related to my dad’s previous thyroid cancer). Since M.D. Anderson had never seen tumors quite like these, and they were growing so slowly, the treatment at the time was, “Wait and see”. As you can imagine, that’s a VERY nerve-wracking way to treat a malignant tumor, slow growing or not! So my parents put everyone they know praying about it. At his next check-up? Tumors had shrunk! The radiologist (who only reads the stuff, doesn’t know what’s going on) report said: tumors smaller, continue current treatment. The treatment of petitioning our Father! Love that!
Right now, (this is me veering off of testifying and asking for prayers from the Siestas if that’s permissible) after months of unemployment, my husband has a job that he loves! We are SO thankful! The only snag is that the job is in the Dallas area and the kids and I… are not. 🙁 So my prayer, and a miracle I would love, is for my West Texas home to sell. Yes, now, during the Holidays, during the worst economy most of us have ever lived through. “For nothing is impossible with God.” I know this isn’t life or death or any of that. I also pray for our buyer — that our home would bless them and be here perfect when they need it. I just pray that is soon.
Sarah,
I will be praying for that house to sell!
Blessings,
michelle
praying Sarah 🙂
Sarah,
I lived in West Texas for years as a kid, then my dad got a job in Dallas. My mom, brother, and I couldn’t move with him right away because we had to wait for our business and home to sell. It was a hard season but we learned some great lessons and made some great memories on road trips and driving around looking at Christmas lights with my mom and brother! I will pray that your home sells and that your family gets to be together under one roof soon! I am thankful today that you WANT to be where your husband is! (Also, the move to Dallas absolutely revolutionized my relationship with the Lord. I have had so many opportunities to grow and walk with Him that I may not have ever known about! I will pray that God uses the move in your lives as He did in mine). God bless!
Sarah,
I just love West Texas people, being one my self, I think we are just hoot. God is in control, and will have perfect timing every step of the way.
PS I have lived in the metroplex for 30 years, I know you will love it!!
Just read this and remembered how many miracles I’ve had with houses that sold when we needed them to sell. Then I realized you had commented on my post above–thanks. Well, I will pray for your house to sell soon. All I know is, when God wants your house to sell, nothing will stop Him. His timing is perfect. One of our houses sold after we had just moved and it was empty and forlorn. The buyer even moved up the closing date, and we got the cash 3 days before our son’s college tuition was due! We knew that was a God thing!
What an amazing question to really set each one of us up with gratitude to think and share about a miracle that Jesus Christ performed in out life! It was 2 years ago this December the 6th when God performed a mighty miracle in my life. For over 8 years, I was involved in what I now call a “religious cult.”
They twisted all kinds of scripture for example: women were not allowed to cut their hair, no make-up, and women only wore long dresses, no jewelry and Beth your bleach blond hair would have been considered a terrible sin (smile). Women were certainly never allowed to speak, you would get married and stop working so you could serve your husband and stay home and have a million kids because they didn’t believe in birth control either. This is just the tip of the iceberg about the things they taught. They believe in a prophet and you would read, listen to via tape and cds and hear his messages in church
About a year prior to God performing the miracles of all miracles, I started to work with a business trainer and then found out she was Christian and would often speak of God. The first thought was she would be stoned in my church but I heard this voice say keep training with her and just keep your mouth shut. I followed instruction even though she got under my skin really bad especially when she would start to talk about things that were against what I “BELIEVED” from church. On December 6, 2008 I was at an event with her and she asked about a childhood event. I said” I don’t know”. She said “if you did know what would the answer be?” I said “I don’t know because I don’t have any childhood memories.” She said “you better ask the Holy Spirit to reveal them to you.” I simply said to myself “Holy Spirit can you please reveal my childhood to me.”
To make a long story short, that very same evening the Lord revealed my childhood to me like a movie screen and the things I saw like childhood abuse, children mistreating me, my parents rejecting me and much more was used to show me why I had gone running to this “cult.” I thought hiding myself with long dresses, long hair and feeling accepted by this cult would cover up my broken heart that needed healing by the Lord. It never would have been healed there! I don’t know anyone else who has come out of this religion and still loved Jesus and want to serve Him so I consider this a miracle. Although I have a long way to go I love Him and I WANT to be His servant, I know healing will come!
Wow Crystal. Praise the Lord for His miracle in your life. I stand in awe at His power and the healing He is doing in your life. Thank you for sharing.
My 8 year old daughter has severe C.P. due to a birth injury. She cannot speak, sit, or stand. She is fed with a g-tube. God has pursued us to believe Him for the impossible since she was born. We have received many affirmations that she will be healed. The true miracle is that I can type this without thinking that I am a complete lunatic. I am in awe that God has used my sweet girl to push us outside of our own boundaries of faith. He wants us to live our faith OUT LOUD…the good, the bad, and the plain ugly truth of it. I wait on Him. I keep a blog of our journey of believing God for Caroline’s healing. Others want to see true faith….when it hurts, when God doesn’t show up like we thought…when we don’t have words to say. I try my best to stay real and live a life that pleases my Lord. My miracle is coming! http://www.homeof5.blogspot.com
Okay Beth, this may be way too much info on my part, if it shouldn’t be published, then don’t. I don’t mind sharing though, because its real life and it happened and it may help someone. My marriage has been, to say the least, off and on. I have had my issues, he has had his issues, we didn’t start out on the best foot, yada yada. Never in my wildest imagination did I think he would have an affair, but it happened. We were in a bad place. I was going through treatment for an addiction to prescription pain and anxiety meds, marriage wasn’t living up to his expectations, the temptress presented herself and that was it. I started to suspect it, but was afraid to confront, but a series of events led me to finally do it, and he confessed and ultimately decided to tell me he would try to work on our marriage. Sometime during this I found out she had been in my house, in my bed even and we had absolutely no money to put into a new bed. I have a touchy back and can’t just throw any mattress down without consequences. Well, I was sleeping on the couch and praying for a way to make this thing work when out of the blue about a week or less later came a big chunk of a check from my husband’s mother. It gave me such a wonderful feeling that God cared so much about that. Well, unfortunately my husband’s heart hadn’t changed at that point and the affair continued even though he pretended it had ended. When I found out about it again, we were about to go on our yearly trip to see my husband’s family. I went and mostly pretended everything was okay except to his mom and one sister in law. When we got back I found out the full extent of things. He had a plan to get me to move with him on his next duty station so I would be stuck there and he would have his kids near by and move his girlfriend out here. When I found this out I was totally convinced that things were out of hand and I was ready to just let him go and stay where we were. I had two godly women walking with me through all this. They held my hand while I asked him to leave the house, went to the lawyer with me and all other kinds of things I needed. But that wasn’t even the miracle. On a lonely night in his hotel, my husband woke from a dream about being so far from us and our son getting injured. He finally began to pray, and by his account, the moment he started praying, his chest starting filling with a warmness that he had never experienced before and by the time he was done praying at something like 0330, his whole chest was filled with warmth and emotions he hadn’t felt in a long time and he so giddy he couldn’t stop smiling. It took me a bit to really accept that he really was being real about wanting to go to counseling this time, but we were able to go to a very intensive marriage weekend and that was the beginning. I saw a new man. We are still struggling because of moving, and life, but we are committed to working on things as long as we have to. Just writing this out is helping me to renew my commitment. Life just gets so crazy with two kids and deployments. You won’t waste a prayer on us(I think I’ve heard you say that before!)
Lisa I stopped right this moment and prayed for you and your family. Thank you for your family’sservice to our country. You are an encouragement to me to have faith in God’s hand my life.
Just wanting to comment because all of the posts I’ve been reading are just so encouraging to me right now. My husband was told today that he has a “mass” in his abdomen and he will be going tomorrow for an MRI. I have this incredible peace about what we are about to go through! Oh, we were a wreck this morning when we found out about the “mass”. We’ve been on the phone crying, praying, and trying to encourage one another all throughout the day. I’m SO thankful that God is faithful in good and bad times. I’ve been holding on to the promise in Psalm 112:7. I say it this way: [I] will not fear evil tidings. [My] heart is confident, trusting in the Lord.
I am even more confident that God is in control! Thank you ladies for sharing your stories.
KS…praying for God’s healing mercies for your husband. Asking God to give you both a peace that passes all understanding that will witness to others for Him. Blessings to
you and yours!
Thanks Billie, We will get news tomorrow on what the MRI shows.
I’m praying too K.S.
Thank you ladies!
We still haven’t received any news yet but God has sure shown up in so many ways through all of this. The prayers & love that we have been showered with are just amazing proof that God works not only through miracles but through us if we’ll let Him.
Holy Spirit, You are THE GREAT COMFORTER! I love you!
I have several stories to share, but this one in particular was so over the top that I have to share!
We have been financially strapped for quite some time. We had been trying to come up with enough money for our mortgage payment for weeks to no avail. We had been tithing even though we could barely feed our 2 kids, and were desperate for a miracle that we knew God could provide. He has always given us just what we need at just the right moment.
I had tried everything, but was going to be VERY short of the money we needed to pay it that month. I stopped and prayed… I specifically told God that I had no idea how to make it happen and that He was the only way that mortgage would get paid… I said, “Lord, you are going to have to drop some money out of the sky if you want me to pay this by tomorrow.”
Well… He did just that! Later that day, we got a hail storm here in Kansas… and my husbands car was in the driveway as usual… his car got lots of hail damage. He got in the car that same day, drove to our insurance agent’s claim department… they immediately cut him a check that day in the exact amount of our mortgage payment! I still get goose bumps when I think if it… God really does drop money from the sky from time to time!
I have a miracle! The Tuesday before Thanksgiving, my 81 year old grandfather had to go for his yearly eye check. He has macrodegenerate . . .and has had it for a few years. (He is losing his vision slowly over time.) Anyway, his vision has started to get to the point where each visit we anticipate, will this be the visit he loses his drivers license. Now, my family would not allow him to drive if we did not think he was capable, and he sets limits for himself, ex. only during the day, not when raining, etc. He is very cautious about it. So he went to the doctor appointment and the doctor checked his vision and said you have improved 2 points. I guess he checked the vision a couple of times, because he turned to my grandpa and was trying to find a way to explain, that vision that had been lost was not back. My grandpa being the believer he is turned to the doctor and said, “It is a miracle, call it as you see it!” My family knows this was a miracle from the Great Physician upstairs and we truely celebrated Thanksgiving this year with this little/big miracle of my grandpa’s vision improving, 2 points, do you get it, 2 points!!
As a child of about 8 my grandpa had a severe stroke which left one side of his body paralyzed. A few weeks later he had another stroke which paralyzed the other side of his body. My grandpa was a most godly man who loved His Lord more than anything. All this time we and many others were praying for his healing and it was looking like it was not to be this side of heaven but on Easter Sunday morning that year he woke up to find all of the paralysis and effects of the stroke totally gone! The doctors shook their heads in amazement and said “I think we’ve just seen a miracle – you are free to leave the hospital.”. That made a huge impression on me as a child and has stuck with me to today that God really does answer prayer and does do miracles. I’ve seen other miraculous answers to prayer since then but that one was huge to me and has served as a building block in my faith.
This past July my brother and his wife had their first baby boy after years of infertility. However, he had to be delivered by emergency c-section a week past his due date because the doctors could tell that something was not right. After he was born, it was discovered that his heart was on the wrong side of his chest, his arteries were switched, and he had a mal-formed arm. Further tests revealed that he had Trisomy 18. This is an illness that most babies do not survive because every cell in the body has an extra chromosome. The cells behave erratically and unpredictably in every part of the baby’s body. My brother and his wife, along with literally thousands of people following their online story via CaringBridge, prayed and belived for a miracle. But it never came. Twenty six days after he was born, my little nephew went to be with Jesus. The reason I tell this story is because I was struck by Beth’s response to Michelle up above, when she said “Sometimes the most astounding miracle is when we don’t get the one we sought and God makes US the miracle. His sustaining grace brings us through to the detriment of the kingdom of darkness.” It struck me that God has made my brother and his wife the miracle. They have been such a testimony to the people who have followed their painful story – continually seeking God throughout the ordeal in a way that has been astounding to all of us around. They have brought such glory to God by their faith-filled response to this tragedy. Their transparency in their pain and questions, their determination to cling to God’s goodness, and their persistence in praise for all of God’s blessings to them have drawn so many into deeper faith. I am so thankful for that miracle – that when they could have become angry and bitter towards God, he blessed them with a kind of faith that none of us could have ever imagined.
On a related note, about two months before all of this unfolded, I began struggling with the issue of God’s sovereignty in suffering, especailly as it related to BABIES and children! I could not explain the sudden fixation I had on this issue! I devoured books on the subject, talked at length with my pastor about it, and wept over the issue! Shortly after I came to a place of peace with it, I began to feel strongly that suffering was coming to our family in a way it never had before. It caused me to cling to God and seek him fervently. Looking back I now believe that the God of the universe took the time to help prepare me for what was about to happen to my brother and his wife! Why would He do that for me? I see it as a miracle of provision. He knew my needs before I did, and in His love, prepared me for the greatest tragedy our family has ever endured.
Nine years ago I was leading a group of 35 women through Breaking Free. One of the precious woman in the group announced her pregnancy at our first meeting. At our third meeting she came broken and devastated as the doctor had told her the “pregnancy was not viable” and she should have a DNC to get rid of “it”. We gathered around her that day, laid hands on her and prayed. As we prayed I heard the Lord (in my Spirit) say “tell her she is going to give birth to a healthy baby boy named Elijah”. I was TERRIFIED! I had NEVER had an experience like that. I tried to pray healing and words that felt safe, but I heard the Lord shouting “she will have a son and his name is Elijah.” I spoke those words out with greater fear than I have ever experienced in my life. Long story short – she was told on numerous occasions over the next many months that the baby was not going to live, or if “it” did it would have horrendous defects. That precious baby almost died in labor as did our dear friend – but the hand of the evil one could not triumph over the plans the God of the Universe had laid out. That precious baby BOY named ELIJAH is now eight years old and healthy as can be. We serve a MIRACULOUS God – Praise His Holy Name!!
My husband suddenly got a new job in a new state back in August. We literally had to up and move, but we knew this was God’s plan for our family. I was determined I was not going to worry about selling our home. This was quite a challenge, given the market and the fact that our agent said it would be very difficult to sell it based on its location, school district, age, etc. It was on the market three weeks and we got full asking price. Our agent told us repeatedly how this was a miracle. I replied that I realized that, but it was something I had prayed about, so I was not surprised. This is a small thing compared to many other things God has done, but it is our most recent miracle and we are so very grateful!
My husband Rick and I were given a dream by the Lord 28 years ago to provide housing for Missionaries while they are home on furlough. Missionaries leave everything to go on the field and when they come back into the US have no place to call home. My husband was a minister and we raised four children on that salary…not much money left over to see this dream come to fruition! We tried over the years to make it happen, but nothing seemed to work out. In 2007 Rick was diagnosed with a primary brain tumor, had surgery at Duke University and started chemo. He did well and continued to preach and just love his life! Brain tumors are very difficult to treat and his prognosis was 2 1/2 to 5 years. The church came together like never before and stormed the gates of Heaven in Rick’s behalf. We were certain we had received a word that he would be healed. During the next 2 years, the Lord placed a strong desire in Rick to get the Missionary house done. In October 2009, the tumor began to grow despite treatment…but God also during that time started putting the pieces of the Missionary home together. We had a dear friend pay a lawyer to start our non-profit called “A Refuge”, taken from Nahum 1:7. Once that was done, the Lord also provided a smaller home for us to purchase and move into that was just 3 doors down from our two daughters who were also neighbors. And He led us very specifically to know that we were to turn our original home into A Refuge. The church moved us out of our home into the smaller home on November 7,2009. We completely furnished A Refuge right down to the towels and two weeks later Missionaries from Mexico moved into our original home…now called A Refuge. Rick went to be with Jesus on Christmas Eve, but not before getting to witness seeing his 28 year dream become a reality. His miracle was getting to hear ,”Well done good and faithful servant.” Since Rick’s homecoming A Refuge has been renovated into two complete living spaces and we have and continue to house Missionaries from all over the world. Each one who comes to A Refuge is in awe of a God Who gives such dreams to His people and also in awe of how He can put all the pieces together so beautifully. Even though our family continues to grieve Rick’s death, we celebrate his life, the miracle of his dream fulfilled and the knowledge that God is being glorified every day through A Refuge. God IS faithful…praise His Name!
Earlier this year, I began having severe lightning flashes in the far corner of my right eye. I’m very near-sighted, yet depend on my sight for my work as writer, editor, and photographer. I called the eye doctor, who told me it sounded like retinal detachment and said I needed to come in right away or I risked losing my sight.
We have no insurance, and had no money, so I said I’d have to call back when I could. Then I contacted my best friend, a pastor and ministry prayer leader, and she contacted her prayer team. They sent me some prayer cloths they had prayed over, with several verses of Scripture and instructions to pray, and meditate on those verses.
The flashes continued in the days between the time they sent the prayer cloths and the time I received them, but as soon as they came, I retreated with them. I laid them on my eyes and prayed. Within moments, I knew I was healed. The flashes continued, but I knew they were just “lingerers.” The next week, I was able to go to the eye doctor, who put me through a thorough (and slightly painful) exam. She found NOTHING wrong with me, and could not explain the lightning flashes. She said my eyes were perfectly healthy. The flashes wore off after about a month, and I haven’t had any since.
I KNOW God healed me. And I’m so grateful. Praise the Lord!!!
Okay my miracle is not one of instant healing, but healing none the less. 11 years ago, before I had my first child Makayla Grace, I suffered with severe depression and anxiety. It came on me out of the blue one day and took almost one year to be delievered from. The miracle for me is that I was completely delievered/healed without medicine. This happened mainly because none of the meds I took worked. I remember hitting my Knees one specific day and crying out “Lord, either take me out or lift me up” and in a ver clear voice I heard ” I am bringing you to fruition” to which I replied ” I have no idea what that means” so I got the Webster dictionary out and looked the word up. The definition~ a state of bearing fruit! Wow! So long story short. I now run PTA meetings at my childs school in front of as much as 600 people. I would never have been able to do this without the healing God provided with HIS Word!!
Oh, I love to tell this miracle story, and I’ll try to make it concise. My husband and I struggled with infertility for several years, and we felt the Lord leading us to adopt. We asked Him to close the trying to conceive door if we were supposed to adopt, and He did. We began an adoption journey where we were seeking how the Lord wanted us to adopt. Originally, we were going to use an agency, then we looked into private adoptions, and then we decided to become foster parents. This option made me very nervous because foster care adoptions can take a great deal of time, and most people take multiple children and lose them before they can find one they can adopt. I didn’t know if we could deal with all of that. About a month after we were certified, on December 18, 2009, DFCS called and said they had a 28 month old little boy who was FREE for adoption (which means he was legally free because parental rights had already been terminated). Usually, with a child so young, the foster family who had the child adopts, but in this case, something had happened and they were not allowed to adopt him. They had had him since he was four months old. We met him the next day, and he moved into our home for forever on December 21, 2009–four days before Christmas. He was definitely our Christmas miracle. His adoption was finalized in less than six months, and everyone from DFCS said things like this just never happen! He is the most precious thing we’ve ever seen, and people also can’t get over how much he looks like us. Another note to this story is that I had a plan for my life where I wanted to be a mom or be pregnant by the time I was 25. Well, that time came and went. When we adopted our son, I figured how old I was when he was born–I was 25! I was a mom, but I just didn’t know it yet. Now, that’s a miracle–and this is just the short version!
“He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord! Psalm 113:9
Oh, and Beth, the very week he was born was when you were the preconference speaker at WOF in Atlanta in 2007. That was the first time I’d heard you speak, and I began doing some of your Bible studies right after that. Let me tell you, God did some mighty works in my life from that week until we adopted our son. God used you in very instrumental ways in getting me ready to be a mom. Thank you!
In June of 2002 I went to my first Living Proof conference in Baltimore, MD. I sat there and listened to Beth speak about the book When Godly People Do Ungodly Things and little did I know she was touching on a topic that would soon be my life experience. I was married at the time but had developed a “friendship” with another man at church. Over the next couple of months I became more involved with the other man and wanted to leave my husband. I ended up reading the book I spoke of earlier and the Lord started to touch my heart – my church family surrounded my husband and I in prayers and were fighting for our marriage even when I didn’t want to. The Lord put on my heart that I needed to go back to my husband (even though I didn’t “feel” like it) and over time He changed my heart towards him. We renewed our vows in March of 2003 and now have two blessings – our 6 year old son and 2 year old daughter. Praise God for the miracle of a changed heart!
Thank you so much for sharing this miracle.