Healing (n.)- the process of making or becoming sound or healthy again.
The power of healing is something I’ve heard all of my life growing up in church. It is something that we read a lot about in the gospel and that pastors love to preach on. Healing is something that I believe in, something I’ve seen personally (on this trip), and something I pray about for others often. But, for some reason I doubted it could happen to me…
Rewind to six months ago when I left for launch. Launch was a few days of preparation before jumping on our plane to Thailand to embark on the race.
The a few days before we left, my back started bothering me. For those of you who do or do not know, I’ve had lower back problems for quite a few years now. It’s something I learned to deal with, yet it was always lingering in the back of my mind when I did physical labor, worked out, or stood for too long, etc.
That evening during worship it started acting up as I was standing and worshiping, and I’m the type of person who loves to stand and worship, not ever wanting to sit down. One of my favorite songs was being sung but I found it hard to focus with the discomfort. However I felt the Lord tell me I needed to just sit for a moment, rest my back and worship Him by listening, after a moment of hesitation I sat. As I was sitting I was so bothered thinking, Why won’t God send someone to pray for me, why can’t people come pray for my healing and make this back problem go away? Everyone else is being prayed for… As I sat there thinking, a heavy conviction came over me and The Lord said to me so softly “I am the one with the power, you don’t need others to pray for you. You can pray for your own healing and I will be the one to heal you.”
WHOA!
That was a wake up call! I realized I had been seeking others to do something when I had the same power they did to just ask, and only HE had the power to heal. So I prayed, still not thinking much of it. Then the song “I find my freedom in the river” came on (one of the favorite songs of the week) and I felt the urge to stand. As I did instantly all the back pain was gone. I was honestly amazing, and doubtful all at the same time. I knew it was only God that could have made that happen but I doubted it was real “healing”.
That night God placed it on my heart that on this trip I would be fully healed of my back issues. That He was wanting to teach me that He was all powerful, that it was Him I needed to seek, not others. And that He would heal me, I just need to have faith and glorify Him in everything, good and bad. All stuff i needed to learn. So..
So the race began and it looked like spurts of back pain here and there, prayers from teammates and squad leaders regularly. Cambodia, for a week, I could barely get out of bed, let alone sit down and stand up. My back pain had been taking control again and I felt victimized to it but I held on to the fact that God told me he WOULD heal it in His time.
Then a few Sunday’s ago happened.
We were in morning service at the church we go to and at the end the pastor said if anyone needs healing or this or that stand where you are and the people around them put their hands on them and pray. For the first time in a long time I felt an urge to stand, so I did. My two awesome teammates Hannah and Alyssa stood and put their hands on me and prayed. And when it was over… Is at back down.
Then that evening a few of us decided to go to night service at the same church. The worship was amazing that night. I could feel Gods presence as we worshiped. Randomly during one of the songs Hannah again touched the bottom of my back, without speaking any words, and we continued to worship and pray. I remember praying in that time saying “Lord, if you want to heal my back, please do it. I’ll give you all the glory. I know you have a plan for me without this hold on me.” And I heard in my mind “You are healed!” Naturally I went back to my fleshly ways and thought, oh that’s just my thoughts something huge has to happen for me to really be healed.
When worship was over we sat down and began listening to the sermon, Hannah tapped me on the shoulder wanting me to read a sentence in her journal… It read: “during worship I didn’t want to interrupt, but I was told that your back is healed <– believe that!”
Confirmation. In that moment I knew I was completely healed. He was saying “Cecily, claim it and give me the glory.” And unlike the first time at Launch, I had no doubt, I knew it was the truth and it was mine to claim. So i did! I wrote it in my journal, told my teammates and parents, I did whatever I could to claim it and give him the complete glory.
When we put things out there for all to hear and we claim it, the devil can no longer use that against us or try to take it from us!
So here I am 3 weeks later… COMPLETELY healed of all my back problems! I have not had any lingering pain or trouble. God touched and healed me; in his perfect timing, showing me how much I am loved and he deserves all the praise!
Whatever God has for you, whether it’s healing from a sickness or bondage, whether it’s faith or boldness… Claim it! Grab it as quick as you can, claim it as your own and then give him all the glory. He wants to give us great and mighty things; we just have to be willing to claim them with a pure heart!
