God's Healing Touch

Hebrews 13:8 (NIV)

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

The day started out to be another busy day for Sharon. She had awakened at 6:00 A.M. She started the day with prayer and reading God's Word. Soon she knew the grandchildren would be coming and there would be no down time for her. She noticed a shortness of breath, but shrugged it off and grabbed her morning coffee.

The four grandchildren arrived and were all wanting breakfast. Now, breakfast was hard because no two wanted to eat the same thing. One would eat eggs, the other toast, etc. It was always such a rush and Sharon was always more than happy to have it out of the way. She was still experiencing some shortness of breath, and now there was some discomfort in her chest. She was not at all sure what was going one. She grabbed a Prilosec, thinking it might be her hernia acting up.

An hour later after much prayer the Prilosec did not seem to be helping at all. The pain only got worse and the pressure got heavier to where her breathing was labored. She picked up the nearby phone and called the school where her daughter taught. She told the secretary that she needed her daughter right away, as she had to go to the doctor.

The school was only a couple of blocks from the house so Sharon's daughter arrived quickly. Sharon had already made a call to her Pastor asking him to take her to the Doctor. The Pastor was there in a matter of minutes.

The pastor prayed with Sharon on the way to the doctor's office. It seemed that the eight miles was a very long trip this time for Sharon. The prayer did help her to calm down but not being sure just what was going on, she was very concerned. When they arrived at the Doctor's office, she was taken immediately in and they started an EKG. As the Doctor watched the paper clicking out of the machine, he began to look worried. He looked up and said, "Well, Sharon do you have a preference to a certain hospital?"

Sharon smiled. "No, I am not too crazy about any of them, why?"

Her Doctor gave a half smile and said, "Your EKG is not normal. There is something going on that is not right. We need to get this checked out now."

The Doctor asked his nurse to get the Pastor and bring him back to the room. When Pastor arrived, the Doctor asked if he would pray for her. Pastor James said nothing as he took hold of Sharon's hand and the Doctor's hand.

"Sharon, we are going to ask the Lord to touch you and grant unto you His peace."

The prayer did help for the fear that was consuming her seemed to ease, but the heaviness was so strong by now that she struggled to breath. The Dr. put another nitro-glycerine pill under her tongue and that did ease the discomfort. He had to do this three times--once every five minutes or so.

When the ambulance arrived, they loaded her onto the stretcher. They started an IV and started to monitor her very closely. Everything seemed to be a blur to her. They took her to a near-by hospital but they decided that she needed to be in a bigger hospital that would have the necessary facilities. This all seemed like a dream, a very bad dream.

Sharon was taken to a big hospital in a city 60 miles from her home. She was put in ICU. In a short time her family arrived at the hospital. She was in and out of consciousness and not sure just what was happening to her. She could feel a pulling and a tugging as if something was pulling her down. She struggled and tried to pull away from whatever this was, but to no avail. She fought until she was exhausted and she felt she had no fight left in her.

Sharon cried out, "Lord Jesus, Help Me!" It was then she saw a shield that seemed to surround her and she felt a Presence. She knew the Lord was with her and that evil forces were trying to pull at her and take her life. But The Lord stopped them. The forces were hitting hard and the pain was so bad, but they could only go so far. The Lord was protecting her. There was pain and she was suffering but the Lord was in control and He would not allow them to take her life. Exhausted, Sharon fell against the pillows. She felt the presence of the Lord and knew He was with her. She knew all would be well. There may be rough times ahead but with the Lord by her side, she would handle them.

Sharon was in the hospital seven days. They had done a heart catheterization on her and the bleeding did not stop so that caused some concern. Finally, after a battery of tests and examinations she was told that her heart was diseased and there was nothing they could do for her but give her medication. Everything the Doctor said was negative. He had nothing positive to say. As she listened to him she said a prayer. "Oh Lord, create in me a new heart. They say this one is so bad, so I know all is possible with you, so give me a new heart, one that is well and in good shape, in Jesus' name, amen."

Sharon searched out a Cardiologist who was closer to her home and made an appointment with him. She was on so much medication and needed to see a doctor often to have her situation evaluated.

Three weeks later she went to see him. He kept her on the same medication, telling her things were looking up.

It was not two weeks later, early in the morning that the heaviness came again. She knew this was the same as before and immediately fear consumed her. She did not mess around. She called her daughter and they went immediately to the emergency room. They sent her on to the hospital and put her in ICU on a nitro-drip. The Doctor came and ordered another heart catheterization to be done.

She informed him she was not having another one of those done. Her experience from the last one was very fresh on her mind. The first one had caused her multiple problems and much pain. There was no way she was going through that again.

The Doctor insisted that this had to be done so they could see just what was going on. Her family insisted that she have this done and she said she would pray about it. She had no peace about this at all. She prayed all day, and with the insistence of the doctor and the coaxing of her family she agreed to have it done, but not without reservations.

The next morning the procedure was scheduled and Sharon prayed for peace. She was taken to the Catherization room and a nurse walked over to her and took her hand.

"This will be all right. I see where you had a very bad time the last time this was done, but this time will be different for we are going to ask the Lord to direct the Doctor."

She looked at her and said, "Are you a Christian?"

"Both your nurses are Christians and we will both be in agreement with you that this will go smoothly and all will be fine. How would that be?

Sharon could only nod. She whispered, "Thank you, Lord." It was then that the peace she had been praying for came over her.

This time the procedure was very different. Everything went smoothly and she just rested in the Lord and let Him direct the hands of the doctor. Before she knew it, it was over with.

That afternoon the doctor came into her. He took hold of her hand and said, "I really cannot explain this, but the pictures we took of your heart look great. We can find nothing wrong with your heart. When compared with your other film, it does not even look like the same heart. It's like a miracle."

Sharon broke down and cried. The entire family cried. For indeed this was a miracle! God had created in her a new heart and He even had given proof to the skeptics, for they had the before and after films to show just what He had done.

The whole family bowed in prayer and thanksgiving. Giving Jesus, the Jehovah Rophe all glory and honor and praise that He alone deserves. He had touched her heart and He had given her a new heart. And even if He had not done this, Sharon knew that He was with her and would never leave her. She had the blessed assurance that He is still on the throne and in complete control.

The films were given to Sharon's family doctor, who is a Christian, to use to show that Jesus is still the same. He still heals and He has not changed. What a testimony He has given to Sharon and her family. And they tell anyone who will listen!! He is still the Healer.

Dear Lord, we thank You that You are in complete control of each of us. We thank You that You can heal our bodies even when it seems that there is no hope. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.