There’s an old song that says: “this world is not my home, I’m just a travelin’ through…” What a journey this road called life can be! Aren’t you glad when the way of life is a smooth ride? One without bumps, tight curves, long detours, and sudden dead ends? We pray for a safe journey as we leave home each day, but sometimes there is a very bumpy road ahead. That journey can shake the very core of our faith. Sometimes there is a major blowout that can change the course of our direction.
The last several years it seems our family has gone through major road construction. In fact, some days were total washouts! The washout times made us stop and ask God hard questions. We wondered which route to take. We found ourselves exclaiming, “I’m lost, God. I don’t know what to do or where to go!”
Unexpected detours scare me. They cause me to be fearful instead of faithful. I don’t want to be fearful because I am a child of God. I know that when I trust in God and lean not to my understanding, He will direct my path. However, when I am in the middle of the road, the bridge is out, and the road behind me is collapsing, it is easy to lose focus on God even though you know He is the God who can make a way in the desert and who can part the sea.
After traveling this rough and rocky road the past several years, I discovered I had focused on life’s disappointments and losses. I knew this road needed to end. I did not, however, expect the new route my life would take. It was a road I have never traveled, a journey that became very up close and personal.
In January of this year, I became very sick. After three emergency room visits, it was determined I had a mass in my abdomen. The mass was situated on my pancreas, small intestine, and bile duct. It was the size of a softball. The location made the situation complicated, so I was referred to Birmingham to the cancer clinic.
A team of doctors tested me for a week. It was decided that exploratory surgery to biopsy the mass was in order. During this very anxious time, prayer requests were sent far and near. So many people were praying for me. I received cards from churches that I didn’t even know, saying they were praying for me! Believe me, I could feel the prayers so much! I really experienced intercessory prayer on my behalf. I can tell you that I have never felt such peace as I did in the midst of the worst physical journey of my life.
The morning of the surgery, the oncologist came into my room with an intern. They explained the procedure they needed to perform. The doctor assured me that if at any time he felt the process would put me in danger, he would stop the surgery. About thirty minutes later, the oncologist came back to my room alone. He walked to my bedside and said, “I want to have a prayer for you.” What a blessing that God sent the doctor back to pray with me! I knew in my heart I would be fine. I still thank the Lord every day for The Holy Spirit moving my doctor to pray.
The surgeon came out smiling after surgery. He told my husband, Larry, that he felt sure the mass was not malignant. However, they could not remove it because it was so big and attached to many organs. So, we would now wait several days for the pathology report. I went home from the hospital on Tuesday; Friday the pathology report proved my mass was not malignant!
A month later I went back for CT scans to check the mass. The doctor entered my room. He greeted me with, “I bet you feel good!”
I replied, “I feel great!”
The doctor stated, “It’s gone. The tumor (mass) is gone.”
The doctor guided me to view two computer screens situated side-by-side. One displayed the mass the day of the surgery, the other the new scan performed that day. “Do you see it’s gone?” he asked.
I said, “God did that.”
The doctor replied, “He certainly did!”
Jeremiah 33:3: “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knows not.”
I am so humbled by the Lord’s healing hand on my life! I realize how blessed I have been. I know how different it could have turned out! God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ever imagine. I praise Him for His mighty power and compassion on me!
Sometimes the road we travel can seem like the worst possible path we could have taken. That is unless God wants to do the miraculous on our journey! When He does, we need to do what He told the man healed of the legion of demons to do: “go home to thy friends and tell them what great things the Lord hath done for thee and how he had compassion on thee.”
My focus is not on the rough and rocky road so much now. My focus is on the daily realization that life is a gift and nothing is too big for God according to His will! I know God brought a new perspective in my life through this journey. I praise Him for His mercy and grace.
I want to remember in prayer those who are sick and in need of a miracle. I want to encourage all who are going through sickness to know that God has them in the palm of His hand. He is able to do more than we can imagine!
Praying peace, strength, and comfort as you journey on in Christ our Lord.
Diane Mann
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#dianemannblogs