The beginning of this week was a 12-hour day at the airport, a zero-sleep 10-hour flight to Istanbul, a 2-hour layover, an exhausting short flight to Belgrade, a 15-minute cab ride, and a 5-hour spiritual battle manifesting in my body.
We arrived at Debora’s (our ministry host for the month) flat in Belgrade, Serbia, at around 7:30pm on Tuesday night. I had been feeling “off” for the majority of the afternoon but counted it a simple side-effect of so much travel and weird Turkish airplane food. Knowing and trusting the power of prayer, I turned to my team leader Amy and asked her for a quick prayer. Some time passed and the pain in my stomach went from zero to 100 real quick, escalating dramatically almost precisely at the moment I laid my head down to sleep at around 11.
I couldn’t help it – I tossed and turned at the undeniable pain, crying silently in my bed in attempt not to wake my sleeping friend Emily lying on the floor beside me. It was unreal. I have experienced stomach pain before and subsequently assumed it was related, that it would pass eventually, that I’d be okay. Besides, Jesus wouldn’t actually allow me to be seriously ill on our FIRST night at ministry, right?
wrong.
After an hour or so, my pride faded and I went in to Amy’s room, woke her up, and quietly asked her to intercede with me. I was NOT going to let this sickness win tonight and was determined to try everything to be heard and healed. Amy, Emily, and I prayed for what seemed like forever; proclaiming scripture, declaring the enemy to leave us in Jesus’ name. We tried some essential oils, too. After a while, I went back to bed still wrying in pain.
Emily woke to my sobs and sat up. We continued our prayers. I don’t know how this girl was so determined to stay with me in the fight but bless her sweet heart for being such a strong sister in Christ – it was nearing 4 am and we had tried everything. Well, almost everything.
She had the idea that we should invite the rest of our sleeping team to help. This was no longer just a sudden illness, we knew it was a deliberate attack of the enemy to hurt me – someone he now considered a serious threat. The girls came in, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (just kidding, they were half-asleep and almost crawling) and circled around. In that moment, all seven of us pressing in and fighting with everything in us to cast this sickness out with Jesus’ healing hands, my body gave up. I had been throwing up consistently for the last couple of hours, I could hardly bear the pain any longer, and I was literally running on fumes from lack of sleep for almost 48 hours. It was nearing 5 am as we were singing a song called “I Am Healed.” I found myself on my side, nursing the chills and convulsions from the pain, softly singing these words:
“I am healed, I know I am because my God says I am. Come what may, my faith will stand. I am healed, I know I am.”
Then I was. In an instant, the pain vanished. My body went from cold to radiating the heat of the Spirit so much that Amy next to me felt it from inches away. Do you hear me? I said the pain was GONE. I shot up and exclaimed “OH MY GOD” as my teammates took a moment to realize the reality of the situation. It freaking worked. Jesus healed me. Though it took 5 hours (and if I’m being honest, those hours completely sucked) he still did and he still will.
So now that you know the back story, let me explain the title: how do you pray for healing?
You don’t stop.
I know that the Lord wanted to heal me. His word is covered in promises stating so. But I believe he wanted to use this experience as a way for my team to begin our journey together in unison of trusting him. To be on the same page in knowing he hears us, he knows us, and he protects us. Every. Time.
Even when it gets hard – even when it’s been 5 hours to no avail – you NEVER give up. And if your body may fail, bring others around you to support and carry you through it because the Lord delights in community! “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)
I am so blessed to have experienced this pain and suffering. It has changed my life. My faith is secure. My heart is exploding with love for my Team Galilee sisters who walk with me. We are ready to go out and share this new-found testimony with the people of Belgrade who just need to hear that there is light in the darkness.
Whatever that pain was from, I without-a-doubt am thankful to know that our God has already won and we can reap the harvest from it. And we have nothing to fear.
1 John 4:4: You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
Ephesians 6:12: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
