“He sent forth His Word and healed them…” Psalm 107:20
It was a death sentence. The head of transplant at Mayo Clinic looked up from his chart and said, “Your husband is too sick. Even if we got a new liver for him, and by some miracle he survived the surgery, he won’t make it out of ICU… unless, of course, he’s got good karma.” I was tongue-tied, and disarmed. Had God brought us this far to have it end like this?
By faith we had obeyed God’s voice to leave our home, our children, our doctors, and our church family to go to Mayo Clinic. It defied reason and yet the LORD clearly called us to go. He spoke this Word: “By His stripes you were healed.” (II Peter 2:24) With childlike faith, we believed and declared His Word aloud despite my husband’s declining health. That word was tested in five near-death experiences, but God gave us grace to stand firm. His Word proved true. Now this.
I drove home from the hospital in stunned silence, the doctor’s words playing over in my head. A fire of indignation arose within me. Good karma – our only hope? This doctor was world-renowned, but He wasn’t my husband’s keeper. He hadn’t numbered his days or the hairs on his head. He didn’t know the great works that God had already done in preserving his life, and he didn’t have right to the last word.
The fire continued to blaze as the Spirit reminded me of the words that a godly man had spoken to me a few days earlier that week. “When the doctor gives me a bad report, I take it to the LORD and say, “Father, this is what THEY say. Now, what do YOU say?”
The next night we went to the house of the LORD and laid the doctor’s words before Him to hear what He would say. About 25 faith-filled believers laid hands on my husband, anointed him with oil, and released healing. I read aloud a passage from Job 33:19-30 that the LORD had quickened to my heart that week. We prayed the Word back to the Lord, thanking Him for sending His Word to heal and deliver.
The Spirit of the LORD fell supernaturally on my husband that night. His countenance brightened, his heart was transformed, and He was filled with joy. The God of all hope replenished our weary souls. Over the next 10 days my husband’s health steadily improved without medical intervention. He gained weight, grew stronger, and walked without a wheelchair. His test results improved so dramatically that the bewildered doctor said that we should go back to NJ because when the organ donation center reassessed him, he would no longer be sick enough to be at the top of the list. We stood on God’s Word and waited for next steps.
The next morning, the organ center called to tell us that they had a new liver for my husband. It was a perfect match. The 6-hour surgery went flawlessly, and my husband was out of ICU in 12 hours. He confounded the wisdom of the wise, did what was impossible for man, and received all the glory… without any karma.
The Word of the LORD proved true. The LORD who is our Healer sent forth His Word to heal and deliver us from our destruction. Whose report will we believe – the rhema Word of God or the report of human reasoning and sensory knowledge? Will we trust Him in childlike faith when His word is tested or lean on our own understanding and trust in man? As for me and my house, we will believe the report of the LORD. Surely, He is watching over His word to perform it (Jer. 1:12).
“Father, You sent forth Your Word to heal and deliver us. Jesus, You are the Word made flesh. By Your wounds we were healed. Thank You for grace to walk by faith not by sight. Thank You, for instructing us in the way we should go and counseling us with Your eye upon us. You always lead us in triumphal procession in Christ Jesus. The battles are Yours. The victories are Yours. Great is Your faithfulness. We exalt and magnify Your name. Receive all the glory, for nothing is impossible with You.”
Lisa Moore