Post by Cindy on Jun 1, 2015 11:21:40 GMT -5
There are some miracles that are harder to see then others. Those are the miracles that come from tragedies, or in other "surprise packages". I'm hoping that some folks will share some of those kind of miracles with us too.
I'll share one of mine like that, although just about everyone here already knows it. I was in a car accident which hurt my back, and then a little over a month later, a patient I was caring for had a temper tantrum and threw me to the floor backward. (I'd been bending over, slightly twisted, to try and help him, when he did that) It totally did in my back. I was finished and that's what the doctors told me. I'd never work again. I cried because I loved my work! I felt like the Lord had let me down...after all, didn't I pray for His protection every day when I woke up? Where was it???? My life was ruined...it was over! (or so I thought in my little temper tantrum) Looking back, I'm so ashamed of myself, but the Lord didn't once get angry with me. Instead, He comforted me, told me it was OK to cry and to get it all out, because Yes, "my life" was all over. I was like, "huh???" He explained then that my life wasn't going to be mine anymore, but instead would be entirely His. Well, I knew enough even then to know that's how it already should have been, and I'd really thought I'd been doing His will before... He assured me that I had been, but that some areas I hadn't given over, now were going to become His.
I had to have surgery and was in a brace afterward and not allowed to even sit up except to go to the bathroom (with help) and just short times to eat. So all I could do all day was lay on my back on the couch. My husband programmed our CD player with 60 praise and worship CD's for me and gave me the remote. Next to me on the coffee table was my beloved Bible and Strongs Concordance, but for about a month or two I wasn't allowed to lift the concordance as it was too heavy. I might be down and out, but I knew that even like this there was plenty I could still do. I could worship the Lord, pray, and study His Word. So that's what I did every day from 6am when my husband left for work and the kids left for school, until just after 3 when they began coming home. That lasted for a couple of months until I was able to sit up as long as I wanted to. (I was in the brace for a year). Once I was able to sit up, I got to my computer where I had a bible library with many commentaries to aid my study as well, and continued in my routine. I grew very close to the Lord during that time and grew a lot in my faith. I came to know that He hadn't let me down at all, but instead had given me a miracle.
It was a hidden miracle, because no one would think to ask for it or to look for it the way it came about. And yet, I can't think of any other way He could have made it happen. If I hadn't been totally incapacitated, or if I'd been able to go back to work I'd have been up and "doing things". Even if it was just "cleaning the house"! Instead, I was forced to spend all my time in His Word and in His presence. You simply can't help but grow when you're there! Oh sure, I could have chosen to read fiction books or spend the time feeling sorry for myself, or both. I suppose I could have taken up knitting or something like that, but it never occurred to me. The first place I ran after my accident, even though I was upset about it, was to my Father. I knew that the way He generally speaks to us is through His Word, so that was the second place I went. When He told me that it was time for my life to truly become His, I can't even imagine thinking, much less saying, "Ok, but I'm going to take a lot of time up to knit or read fiction first". Know what I mean?
There were yet more trials, for with my recuperation from surgery, came pain, pain that wouldn't go away and that would prevent me from ever going back to work. And praise God, pain that would keep me relying on Him for the strength to get through each day! Another miracle came from that, for I learned the truth of what Paul meant when He said he would delight in his weakness for when he was weak, then God was his strength! That is a lesson that has been fine tuned over the last 15 years. To this very day I thank the Lord for the accident and the pain, not because I like it - I hate it! - but because I know that the Lord used and is using those things to work for my good and grow me up to spiritual maturity. That's far more important then anything else in this world.
I'm sadly, a very stubborn person and the Lord had to break me before He could use me. When I did fully submit to Him though, He then gave me a ministry naming it "Fresh-Hope" which He then grew me up into, for I wasn't anywhere near ready to deal with it when He first gave it to me. LOL But He knew I had a lot to learn and in order to learn it, I needed to be around others so I could practice what I was learning. So here I sit, continuing to learn and rejoice in my Father's love; and continually being amazed by Him and the lengths He will go to in order to draw us closer to Him.
For those wondering why I wasn't healed or if I prayed for healing at first, yes, I did and so did my entire church. I fully expected to be healed completely. When it didn't happen immediately, I still expected to be healed but figured it would just take time. And all during the first year and a half, I continued to pray as did my family and my church. The Lord finally simply told me that it wasn't going to happen, at least not then and I needed to let go of it and accept that. While He's said "no" to healing me, He has always relieved my pain when it gets to be too much for me. He has also healed me of other things that have gone wrong in my body since then. In fact, He's given me so many miracles over the last 15 years that it astounds me! Over and over, He's shown me that His Word is true and that He always does what He says He will. Because of that, I can say with Paul: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16–18)
And so, I praise Him for the miracles of His love, salvation and growing me up in my faith!
I'll share one of mine like that, although just about everyone here already knows it. I was in a car accident which hurt my back, and then a little over a month later, a patient I was caring for had a temper tantrum and threw me to the floor backward. (I'd been bending over, slightly twisted, to try and help him, when he did that) It totally did in my back. I was finished and that's what the doctors told me. I'd never work again. I cried because I loved my work! I felt like the Lord had let me down...after all, didn't I pray for His protection every day when I woke up? Where was it???? My life was ruined...it was over! (or so I thought in my little temper tantrum) Looking back, I'm so ashamed of myself, but the Lord didn't once get angry with me. Instead, He comforted me, told me it was OK to cry and to get it all out, because Yes, "my life" was all over. I was like, "huh???" He explained then that my life wasn't going to be mine anymore, but instead would be entirely His. Well, I knew enough even then to know that's how it already should have been, and I'd really thought I'd been doing His will before... He assured me that I had been, but that some areas I hadn't given over, now were going to become His.
I had to have surgery and was in a brace afterward and not allowed to even sit up except to go to the bathroom (with help) and just short times to eat. So all I could do all day was lay on my back on the couch. My husband programmed our CD player with 60 praise and worship CD's for me and gave me the remote. Next to me on the coffee table was my beloved Bible and Strongs Concordance, but for about a month or two I wasn't allowed to lift the concordance as it was too heavy. I might be down and out, but I knew that even like this there was plenty I could still do. I could worship the Lord, pray, and study His Word. So that's what I did every day from 6am when my husband left for work and the kids left for school, until just after 3 when they began coming home. That lasted for a couple of months until I was able to sit up as long as I wanted to. (I was in the brace for a year). Once I was able to sit up, I got to my computer where I had a bible library with many commentaries to aid my study as well, and continued in my routine. I grew very close to the Lord during that time and grew a lot in my faith. I came to know that He hadn't let me down at all, but instead had given me a miracle.
It was a hidden miracle, because no one would think to ask for it or to look for it the way it came about. And yet, I can't think of any other way He could have made it happen. If I hadn't been totally incapacitated, or if I'd been able to go back to work I'd have been up and "doing things". Even if it was just "cleaning the house"! Instead, I was forced to spend all my time in His Word and in His presence. You simply can't help but grow when you're there! Oh sure, I could have chosen to read fiction books or spend the time feeling sorry for myself, or both. I suppose I could have taken up knitting or something like that, but it never occurred to me. The first place I ran after my accident, even though I was upset about it, was to my Father. I knew that the way He generally speaks to us is through His Word, so that was the second place I went. When He told me that it was time for my life to truly become His, I can't even imagine thinking, much less saying, "Ok, but I'm going to take a lot of time up to knit or read fiction first". Know what I mean?
There were yet more trials, for with my recuperation from surgery, came pain, pain that wouldn't go away and that would prevent me from ever going back to work. And praise God, pain that would keep me relying on Him for the strength to get through each day! Another miracle came from that, for I learned the truth of what Paul meant when He said he would delight in his weakness for when he was weak, then God was his strength! That is a lesson that has been fine tuned over the last 15 years. To this very day I thank the Lord for the accident and the pain, not because I like it - I hate it! - but because I know that the Lord used and is using those things to work for my good and grow me up to spiritual maturity. That's far more important then anything else in this world.
I'm sadly, a very stubborn person and the Lord had to break me before He could use me. When I did fully submit to Him though, He then gave me a ministry naming it "Fresh-Hope" which He then grew me up into, for I wasn't anywhere near ready to deal with it when He first gave it to me. LOL But He knew I had a lot to learn and in order to learn it, I needed to be around others so I could practice what I was learning. So here I sit, continuing to learn and rejoice in my Father's love; and continually being amazed by Him and the lengths He will go to in order to draw us closer to Him.
For those wondering why I wasn't healed or if I prayed for healing at first, yes, I did and so did my entire church. I fully expected to be healed completely. When it didn't happen immediately, I still expected to be healed but figured it would just take time. And all during the first year and a half, I continued to pray as did my family and my church. The Lord finally simply told me that it wasn't going to happen, at least not then and I needed to let go of it and accept that. While He's said "no" to healing me, He has always relieved my pain when it gets to be too much for me. He has also healed me of other things that have gone wrong in my body since then. In fact, He's given me so many miracles over the last 15 years that it astounds me! Over and over, He's shown me that His Word is true and that He always does what He says He will. Because of that, I can say with Paul: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16–18)
And so, I praise Him for the miracles of His love, salvation and growing me up in my faith!
!!
