Trust Trail
My desire to see God’s power come through me to heal others in my life greatly intensified when my husband was diagnosed with cancer. Fear could have easily derailed my pursuit for God’s healing as we waded through complicated medical information so focused on what all the numbers meant in terms of treatment and life expectancy. But in those moments of fear, I recognized we weren’t trusting God. Trust Trail took us through some rough territory but would eventually bring us to a new level of faith, together.
One Sunday, a pastor at our church overheard Jim telling a friend about his diagnosis. The pastor later shared with us that he was a few months ahead on the same journey. He then invited us to his home where he and his wife shared what they had been through and what we might expect. Talking with them made us feel that we weren’t so alone. Each week at church, the pastor checked on our progress and answered any questions we were having. And when it came time for Jim’s surgery, he organized a prayer session with the other pastors. After briefly sharing our need, they formed a circle around us, laid hands on us, and prayed. I can’t tell you how much that meant to us.
Something the pastor and his wife emphasized during the time we spent talking with them stuck with me and changed my thinking. They stressed that the two of us were on a journey, together, not just Jim. That thought had me going with Jim to all of his doctor appointments, listening to image scan results, and discussing treatment options. It got even scarier when a spot showed up on one of the images taken to make sure the cancer hadn’t spread. The report stated it was “likely cancer” but to be sure a biopsy was ordered.
Since we were on this journey together, I started involving Jim more in what I was learning about God’s promises for healing. We started reading scripture out loud to each other. We also began watching healing sermons and testimonies regularly on TV and online together. When we discovered one of the pastors we watched on TV also held a Sunday evening healing school service at his church not far from where we live we decided to check it out. It turned out to be much like a regular church service; only the teaching focused on healing scriptures to build faith for healing. After that, anytime a pastor we watched on TV came to a town near us, we went to see them, learned what they had to teach us, and Jim never missed an opportunity for prayer.
We ventured out and gained greater exposure to the knowledge of God’s healing power when my cousin who pastors a small congregation in the Los Angeles area invited us along on her speaking and healing prayer weekend at a private home a few hours away in northern California. A doctor who had been recently healed of stage 4 liver cancer was inviting friends and family for prayer, hoping for her same outcome. My cousin planned to give my book as gifts and have me there to sign them, and it would also be another opportunity for Jim to receive prayer as well. It was an extraordinary experience for us not only to see healing taught and ministered in that type of intimate setting but also for me as a new author. The people were all so friendly, and it was fun getting to know them as I signed their books. But most of all, I was hoping to see a miracle!
The biopsy turned out negative, thank God! And the doctors were confident the cancer had not spread. But with all the prayer, we were expecting the cancer to be all gone. I was surprised, yet so proud of Jim when he boldly asked his doctor to rerun the blood test to see if anything had changed. Though, hesitant at first, his doctor went along with Jim’s wishes and reran the test. When the results hadn’t changed any, surgery was then scheduled.
The surgery was a success! We were told the cancer had been contained in the now-removed organ, leaving no signs it had traveled outside of it. We went home relieved and grateful. However, the results of Jim’s 3-month post-op blood test showed cancer had aggressively returned. So again, we were back to image scans and consultants. This time cancer was found in a part of the body that could quickly spread throughout the system.
While Jim’s doctors were determining a course of treatment or if treatment was even an option, my cousin wanted me to do a book signing at her church. Scheduled for that particular Sunday was a guest healing pastor giving Jim another opportunity to receive prayer. After the teaching, Jim got in the prayer line, and I went to the foyer to sign books for those leaving. When Jim’s turn for prayer came, the minister asked him to get his wife so he could pray for us both. His prayer turned out to be prophetic. He first talked to Jim and told him he was joyful and had faith, adding that we would live a long life and we would do something together. He then turned to me and said I was obviously a woman of God but needed some encouragement. He took my hand and put his other hand on my head and said the Lord was healing the right side of my brain. He also said there was more for me to learn and that God would teach me. He said I would step into a new level of faith and leadership and would teach and testify. As much as the prophetic prayer boosted our faith for a future together, it wasn’t long before I needed another dose of encouragement.
There was a lot on my mind as we sat in an examining room waiting for the radiation oncologist to come in and tell us whether or not he would be able to help us. I wanted to be strong for Jim, but at the same time, I was afraid. I thought about how the Lord had been teaching me to be like a little kid, to have fun, trusting Him. Silently I asked, “Lord, how would I be a little kid in this circumstance?” Quickly He answered back, “In this circumstance, your parents would be here with you.” Suddenly I felt the presence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit enter the little room. And before I could react, in came the doctor. He told us he had reviewed everything and was confident he was able to kill the cancer.
Trust Trail turned out to be a bumpy road. Through all the ups and downs, twists and turns, we learned that though our faith fails at times, God showed us He is faithful, and in that, we can trust.
To be continued . . . see Practice-Court
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