This has been the longest season of physical pain in my life but it has brought me closer to the Lord as well it should. So many scriptures have come to my mind over the months since it started...how the Lord doesn't give us more than we can handle, the thorn that he gave Paul, and so many more. Healing comes in many ways, and sometimes it does not. Luke was a physician, but the Lord and his followers healed many supernaturally-just as he does today. My outstanding issues remaining have been arthritic & sciatic pain, both controlled somewhat by medication. I accepted the arthritis as a normal part of aging, knowing that the Lord never said life would be free of pain. The sciatica I have been hoping to have repaired eventually, however the Lord may have another plan. I should say at this point that many people have prayed many prayers for me for months & the Lord answers prayers in his time not ours. I am so very grateful for everyone who prayed & I believe I have seen an answer to those faithful prayers & one of the things we should do is share the testimony of what God has done-it is for the encouragement of others. Often I am reminded to pray especially for those who pray for me.
One of the scriptures I have always liked tells us that we should pray for others that we be healed. I don't believe that is a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours proposition". I believe that it means if we are faithful to pray for others the Lord will bless us. Once in awhile I pick out a few people, or a few circumstances, and I fast & pray over them when I feel so led. I had done this last week & right after that I had seen my massage therapist who said near the end of my massage that she could possibly help the sciatic pain. So I had a brief treatment for that & she advised whenever the pain might arise to sit (turns out sciatica can be a literal "pain in the butt" quite frankly) on a golf ball! After the massage I noticed a great reduction of pain over the next few days & I had immediately cut my medication in half! Although I continue to hatch golf balls once in awhile ;) my pain continues to be roughly only half what it was or less and I take half the medication. I believe that the Lord is directly responsible for this. My medication was at a point where it was giving me many unpleasant side effects & now I do not have them at all! This has vastly improved my outlook in general say nothing of making life a lot less stressful.
Sometimes I am SO frustrated that we as people do not apply the Word to our lives or that we do not acknowledge what God does in our lives-to him or to others. Sheep are very dumb animals they say, but we do not need to prove it quite so much! So, odd as this may seem...the Holy Spirit works even with golf balls, definitely with massage therapists (mine is wonderfully gifted), & absolutely with faithful prayer warriors & application of the scriptures. It is such a shame that health insurance does not cover massage therapy as I have seen it work wonders, both personally & professionally. I could not even find a physical therapist that did massage awhile back & that does not even make sense to me! This testimony would not be complete if I did not add that despite my expectations I have been able to work every flu clinic & health screening event I can schedule this fall & after long months of inability to do any sort of work this is a huge blessing. Thank you Jesus!
My suggested reading these days:
The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer on the nature of God - if we do not understand who God is we cannot be the people he wants us to be!
Both And by Rich Nathan (my pastor) & Insoo Kim on living the Christ-centered life in an either or world-our world is so polarized it is difficult to be a believer and remain balanced & true to our calling.
One of the scriptures I have always liked tells us that we should pray for others that we be healed. I don't believe that is a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours proposition". I believe that it means if we are faithful to pray for others the Lord will bless us. Once in awhile I pick out a few people, or a few circumstances, and I fast & pray over them when I feel so led. I had done this last week & right after that I had seen my massage therapist who said near the end of my massage that she could possibly help the sciatic pain. So I had a brief treatment for that & she advised whenever the pain might arise to sit (turns out sciatica can be a literal "pain in the butt" quite frankly) on a golf ball! After the massage I noticed a great reduction of pain over the next few days & I had immediately cut my medication in half! Although I continue to hatch golf balls once in awhile ;) my pain continues to be roughly only half what it was or less and I take half the medication. I believe that the Lord is directly responsible for this. My medication was at a point where it was giving me many unpleasant side effects & now I do not have them at all! This has vastly improved my outlook in general say nothing of making life a lot less stressful.
Sometimes I am SO frustrated that we as people do not apply the Word to our lives or that we do not acknowledge what God does in our lives-to him or to others. Sheep are very dumb animals they say, but we do not need to prove it quite so much! So, odd as this may seem...the Holy Spirit works even with golf balls, definitely with massage therapists (mine is wonderfully gifted), & absolutely with faithful prayer warriors & application of the scriptures. It is such a shame that health insurance does not cover massage therapy as I have seen it work wonders, both personally & professionally. I could not even find a physical therapist that did massage awhile back & that does not even make sense to me! This testimony would not be complete if I did not add that despite my expectations I have been able to work every flu clinic & health screening event I can schedule this fall & after long months of inability to do any sort of work this is a huge blessing. Thank you Jesus!
My suggested reading these days:
The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer on the nature of God - if we do not understand who God is we cannot be the people he wants us to be!
Both And by Rich Nathan (my pastor) & Insoo Kim on living the Christ-centered life in an either or world-our world is so polarized it is difficult to be a believer and remain balanced & true to our calling.
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