Last Thanksgiving, I volunteered at my local, church run homeless shelter/ food bank. I mostly help in making the Thanksgiving lunch. I find nice to see people come together to help those in need on a major holiday. Almost everyone comes from the church even our blind pastor. Even though he cannot help make the food he offers encouragement to everybody and talks with everybody about topics they like (the thanksgiving football game and family meals). Never think because you are disabled, blind, or have any other condition you cannot help. We are God's working hands to those in need. How can you help.

I’m not new at trusting the Lord, but this time, fear kept plaguing me. The Lord brought us together less than three years ago through a miraculous way, and I couldn’t even get my head around the possibility that I might lose my beloved through his upcoming back surgery. His age, diabetes, scar tissue from the first back surgery, and the staggering negative statistics were all fear-producing realities. But, were they…..realities?

We started asking for prayer a month before the surgery date, as we had learned long ago that prayer forces the devil out of the issue, whatever it may be. Two weeks ago, we requested prayer and the laying on of hands from our elders, as Scripture denotes. Our Pastor anointed him and was joined by two elders praying over him. Our families, covering several states, were praying, as well as our prayer groups, here and in Seattle, as well as our Sunday School Class and other Christian friends. Heaven was being “stormed,” as the expression goes.

I had just experienced a simulcast by Priscilla Shirer at a neighboring church that centered around the “power” of prayer. She had just finished starring in the movie: “The War Room.” The main point that I came away with from her presentation was that in order to become an overcomer in whatever challenge we face, that we had to develop a strategy.

With this in mind, I decided that I needed a strategy for the time that I would be spending in the surgery waiting room. I knew that I was going to be alone, as the hospital was located on an Air Force Base in Fairfield, CA, with the surgery scheduled at 8:00am, with a check-in time of 6:00am. Some of our children would be joining me, but could not arrive until later that morning.

The day before we were to leave for Fairfield, we received an appreciative gift for a contribution we had made to Our Daily Bread Ministries…a CD entitled: “It is Well ....” I played it and was delighted, as it was a combination of soft instrumental worship music that was accompanied by narratives from Scripture and declarations describing the attributes of our loving Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit. I knew this was the “tool” that I needed to keep me focused on Heaven while I sat alone in that surgical waiting room. What perfect timing! Our God is never late!

In driving up the afternoon before the surgery, the drive seemed short. The motel room provided by the VA because my husband was a disabled veteran was very comfortable, and our sleep that night was sweet. Our Lord was already at work lifting us above these circumstances.

As I was being escorted to the surgical waiting room, I thought: “Here we go, Jesus,” somehow feeling that I needed to tell Him when to report for duty….silly me.
During the next 4 hours, I felt as if I wasn’t sitting alone. It was as if the Lord was sitting next to me, my head on His shoulder as He stroked it while reminding me of Who He was and His love for both my husband and myself. It was the deepest awareness of His presence that I had ever yet experienced in my 70-year journey with Him. My mind and my lips praised Him as the CD led and time evaporated.

I was so enveloped by Him that I was startled and jumped when the neurosurgeon entered the room and sat beside me. I immediately grabbed both of her hands and looked intently into her face, looking for signs of the surgery outcome. As she opened her mouth to speak, tears fell upon her cheeks, and she quickly and exuberantly declared that the surgery went better than expected. She continued by saying that she was dreading this particular surgery because of the difficulties she knew it would entail.
And, yet, here she was proclaiming that, in her entire career, she had never, ever experienced the “prayers” (her words). Before me was this Christian woman trying to describe the mighty prevailing presence of the Holy Spirit!

As I listened to her go into further detail regarding her spiritual experience, I knew that indeed the Holy Spirit had been at work for days in our lives, and now in the surgeon’s too. She was going to give testimony about this experience to her prayer group when they met later in the week. While at first surprised at what had happened, it wasn’t long before I realized that my husband and I, and many others, were also praying for this surgeon.

My husband is now at home recovering. While very weak physically, his continence now radiates with a renewed joy. The debilitating pain and leg numbness that he had been living with for months is gone.

The purpose of this testimony is twofold. Scripture mandates that we are to declare in the assembly of believers whenever we have experienced God’s miraculous workings on our behalf. Our God indeed heals! Our God indeed provides! Our God indeed is faithful! Our God answers prayers in accordance with His will. Obviously, in our case, His will is to “give us a future and a hope (Jer: 29:11).”

Secondly, we’d like to extend our deepest appreciation to our family, friends, and brothers and sisters in Christ at Church, and elsewhere, for standing in the gap for us with your prayers and support. Prayer is powerful!

May 1, 2016