Why God Is My Healer & Abundant Giver

I sat in the cold metal chair wishing I had brought my jacket. Wishing even more that I was home in my jammies. It was 8:00pm on a Friday night and here I was sitting in Urgent Care... again.

Year 2017 had a rough start. I miscarried our first child and received an autoimmune diagnosis within the same month (future journal entry to come).  I was at the time a Pre-K teacher at a childcare center…needless to say I was constantly sick! Regardless of what changes I made to my daily habits through diet, detox or supplements, my immune system struggled to keep up with all that my body was going through.

It was now December and I had been fighting a strep infection for three weeks. I was FED UP!  After spending the entire year actively recovering my health, here I was again both sick and broke! If you couldn’t already tell, I was also throwing a pity party.  I had tried many natural remedies and three rounds of antibiotics but the virus continued to worsen until half my throat was swollen shut. The doctor told me that if things didn’t clear up in a couple of days I would need to go to the emergency room and let them puncture a hole in the abscess to drain the infection.

"How do you feel about that?" she asked.  

"About letting them cut a hole in my throat? Or about paying cash for an ER bill? We don't have insurance." I think she could sense the fear in my voice because she sent me home with another antibiotic.

Two days later I was in so much pain that I considered the doctors original recommendation.  However, a mentor and spiritual warrior in my life encouraged me to try prayer first. “Are you home?” I asked.  So instead of driving to ER after my work shift I drove to her house. I figured “It couldn’t hurt to pray” because I had tried everything else.  Sad to say, prayer was my last resource rather than my first thought.

My friend laid her hands on my throat and prayed in the name of Jesus.  Right away the room was filled with the peace of His presence. 

“How are you feeling?” She asked. 

“Peaceful" I said.  

“No your throat?”

We laughed.  I had been so caught up in the peace of God’s presence I had forgotten why I was there.  

“Honestly?” I asked.  

“Yes you won’t hurt my feelings. Just tell me on a scale of 1-10 how it feels.”  

“It’s still a 10” I sighed.  

She laid her hands on my throat and prayed some more then again asked how I felt.  This continued for a while.  I could tell the prayer was powerful because the bedroom felt like a combination between a power-filled worship service and peaceful sun-bathing at the beach.  But the pain in my throat remained.  I continued to give her a 10 on the number scale and started to really feel bad for wasting her time.  But the next prayer was different…  

“Jesus says ‘You’ve forgotten He’s your healer and He’s going to heal you in two days?” my friend said almost reluctantly. 

“2 Days?” I questioned wondering for a moment if this was her way of ending our drawn out prayer session. 

“Yup that’s what He says…2 Days!” She acted just as surprised as me.

After some hot tea and chit chat I thanked my friend and drove home angry.  

“God! WHY two days?? This pain is unbearable why couldn’t you just heal me now?  I still have to go to work tomorrow and throw a Christmas party tomorrow evening!” I said in toddler tantrum style.  

“Double Blessing” I heard God’s familiar gentleness say in my heart.  

“Is this some sort of test?” I griped.  

“Double Blessing” the Word repeated.  

I got home and threw away my brand new bottle of antibiotics. I wanted God to know that I was serious about receiving His healing and I also knew that if I continued to take the antibiotics I might give them false credit for it.

The next day my throat felt worse than it had ever felt! As I poured a hot cup of tea my husband greeted me “How are you feeling?”.  

“Tomorrow is the day!” I replied with spontaneity then took a large sip of hot herbals.  It burned and I had to focus very hard on making my throat swallow.  But I wasn’t going to let my words speak against what God promised.  

“Heyyy how are you feeling??” My roommate entered.  

“Just waiting for that healing…One more day!” Boy was this hard all I wanted to do was complain.

The Christmas Party came and went, I had put on a smile but was in painful agony, and before I knew it the next work day had arrived.  It was lunchtime in my classroom…

“Johnny it’s not nice to pull Beth’s hair!”

“Mark the trash can isn’t hungry now eat your sandwich!” 

“Lilly our grapes go in our mouths not our noses!”  

Now normally about this time I would have had a shocked voice from talking over a bunch of rowdy children but as we went through our routine I noticed I still had my voice.  Then I noticed I wasn’t having to spit in the classroom sink but could swallow my own saliva (unlike the day before).  After I was able to eat my lunch without pain I decided it was time to check out my throat. My replacement teacher came and I rushed to the bathroom.  Using the light on my iPhone I said “AHhhhhh”.  I was overjoyed to see that the swelling had gone down.  The adenoid that had been blocking half my throat was no longer touching my tonsil for the first time in a week!  By the time I got home a few hours later the swelling was completely gone!! Thank you Jesus!!

After another long throat inspection in my mirror I praised Jesus for not only the physical sign but the feeling of relief I felt in my throat.  

“Double Blessing”. I felt that gentle voice remind me.

Immediately I knew.  It was as though the light had been clicked on.  Today was my 7thday late.  I ran into the bathroom and opened the cabinet to my stock supply of pregnancy tests…and well you know what it said.  I literally jumped and danced around my house saying “YES….YES….YES…..thank you JESUS!!!” I had just received a healing and a baby in the same day!

Five days later it was Christmas morning and I got to surprise my husband with sweet doll-sized onesies on the bottom of his stocking that read “Daddy’s Little Princess” and “Daddy’s Little Handsome”.  And as my pregnancy progressed it was nothing but comfort and bliss!  Baby and I were completely healthy and I didn’t get sick once.  Every well check was a reminder that Jesus was my healer.

Fast forward to August 12th, 9 months later… I am in the fourth stage of labor, my water has broke, and I am working hard to meet my baby girl.  In between contractions I am resting and I remember a specific prayer that I had prayed months before: “Lord, please speak to me during labor by our room number.  Please let it correlate with a verse from Your Word that will encourage me and help me get through it.”.  

I ask the nurses what room we are in.  

“Room 302” they giggle. I am sure they are wondering why I would ask such a thing at a time like this.  

In my mind I picture my stack of memory cards that I had studied in preparation for this day, “30:2….30:2…30:2”. I can’t think of any scripture with this reference. Interrupted by the next contraction I decide to make a mental note of the numbers and move on.  

48 hours later we are home with our precious baby daughter and I mention the prayer to my husband.  

“Well the book of Psalms has 30 chapters let’s look it up.”  He quickly finds it.  

I listen to my husband recite the verse as I hold my sleeping daughter in my arms, this little breathing person straight from Heaven, and I am so overwhelmed by the love of My God.

Psalms 30:2, “O Lord, my healing God, I cried out for a miracle and You healed me.”  

God set healing on either side of my pregnancy like bookends.  With His special touch the story came full circle.  I asked for a medical healing and He gave me much much more; He gave me this little miracle of life.  My daughter will forever remind me that our God is an abundant giver.  I pray that He will show me how to remind her too.