Aching Inside
Goodness gracious, every time I think I have finished sharing my story with you, I hear the Lord speak to me, “Share more! Tell your sisters of your struggles and your pain and show them My hand of faithfulness in all of it.
I often think who wants to hear about my grief because after all, everyone has problems of their own. Yet, God has made it clear to me to write this and I need to remember that it is He that I write for, my audience of One, but I do hope it encourages you none the less!
If you missed my last posts you can read them here at, The Refiner’s Fire and Lord, Why on Earth Would You Allow This?(The Refiner’s Fire Part II).
I left off telling you about my health trial and our financial trials colliding. Without writing a book about all of those details I thought I would share a few situations of my pain along with God’s hand upon our lives in the midst of the black, stormy clouds that were surrounding us.
With my failing health, I needed some form of a new treatment and having no health insurance and little money, I must admit I was not hopeful about my situation. Of course I prayed and cried out to the Lord. I had done that for so many years regarding my physical pain and illnesses that I often wondered if He heard me.
“O LORD, how long shall I cry, and You will not hear?” Habakkuk 1:2
I had no doubt in my mind that Christ, the Great Physician, could do a miracle in my body. Yet, year after year, healing in my body did not take place.
“So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-9
During those years, I was having a hard time living off of ‘just His grace’, even though His Word said, “My grace is all you need.”
| My King in Shining Armor rode up on His horse to save me. |
So, with depression and despair starting to set in once again….what does God do? He rides in on His big white horse to save the day! He led me to a doctor even when I wasn’t looking for one! No health insurance and hardly any money remember, so why would I be looking for a doctor? Let me share with you about what Our King in Shining Armor did for His princess.
For about 2 weeks the Lord had prompted me to go see a certain doctor in the town that we live in. It was a rather odd nudging from the Lord, after all, I had never met this doctor, nor knew of his practices PLUS, we could not afford it! Each night as I would go to bed, (that’s when I would hear the Lord speak to me the most…you know those quiet moments without any distractions), over and over, He would tell me to go see this particular doctor. I, of course, would argue with God and remind Him that it was not financially feasible to be treated by this doctor. It was a ridiculous idea that I battled with for awhile. I shared with my husband all that the Lord was telling me and then one day my beloved Solomon, my husband, said to go see this new doctor and not to worry about the money. So I went.
This doctor practiced Chinese medicine which is a combination of acupuncture, medicinal tea designed specifically for your body and your issues along with herbal supplements. After all of the other treatments that I had been through, the acupuncture did not scare me. However, I was VERY skeptical, yet I still had an ounce of hope that I would find healing at this place, after all, Jesus sent me there!
I met with this very mild-mannered and humbled doctor and he gave me what is referred to in his practice of medicine, a ‘body scan’ which is nothing like a body scan in western medicine; they are two completely different types of scans. Now as I sat in his office I was very cynical thinking this man is not going to be able to help me. He did not have any of my test scores or blood results to refer to, just his little scan.
He asked me who referred me to his office. My response, “The Lord.” (Plain and simple. I did not care what he thought of me.) The doctor looked at me somewhat puzzled by my response. Again, I said, “The Lord, no one else”. Then he just smiled and nodded his head.
He read the results of my scan and with complete certainty he said I was very sick and I had been sick for a long time. He now had my full attention. He went on to tell me I had a virus that was destroying all of my organs. Now my ears perked up. I knew I had a virus, one that many doctors could not treat and a virus that I had for several years. So, what did I do? I tested the doctor to see if he knew what he was talking about! (Remember, I was skeptical.)
I asked him, “What is the name of the virus?”
He proceeded to tell me its name and I said, “You are right, I do have that virus.”
He dropped my chart on his desk and looked at me with shock and surprise. “How do you know this, he asked?”
“I was tested for it many years ago, but the doctor who tested me for it shortly died after I received my results”, I said.
His wife read my results over her husband’s shoulder and with a disgusted tone, she asked me, “How much alcohol do you drink?”
“None, I don’t even drink soda”, was my reply.
Again he said, “You are very sick and you have been sick for a very long time and your liver is very bad.” I told him I knew about my liver because of recent test results but my doctor at the time was unable to fix my problem.
This man knew my body as if he had been treating me for years. He understood all of my organ issues and told me they were all related. After all that I heard from him, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that God brought me directly to this doctor.
“The treatment will be long, but I can heal you”, he said.
I sat there right in his office and broke down and cried.
“In my distress I cried to the Lord, and He heard me.” Psalm 120:1
I cried for two different reasons. One, I finally had a doctor who knew how serious my problems were AND he knew how to treat them. Two, we had no money for me to get the treatment I needed. After all these years with no answers, we finally had an answer, but no means to fix the problem. In one instant I went from feeling ecstatic to feeling discouraged and hopeless.
We spoke some more, and come to find out that this doctor is none other than a born-again, committed Christian! My soul was singing, yet, in my mind I felt somewhat cheated. It was like the Lord was showing me all these good things but in my world, my reality, I could not have them.
We will take care of you here. You are family. You are my sister, he said. I wept again. (Awe, that still brings tears to my eyes as I write this!)
The treatment was still very expensive even with their help. I did not know how we were going to afford $900 a month, every month for the next year. I came home saddened and frustrated as I shared all the information with my husband. I did not want to be a burden to him. I knew he was already feeling overwhelmed with having the home in foreclosure and not knowing how he was going to provide for his family with just the basic necessities of our lives.
Now, here comes the sound of the horses’ hooves galloping to my rescue, again…A few days later, as I returned from a trip to the store, I pulled up into my driveway and I see my Knight in Shining Armor polishing the sports car that he had owned for 10 years. I could tell before I even got out of my car what my husband was doing. He was sprucing it up so he could sell it. He enjoyed his little car and he worked hard for it so I knew it was a sacrifice for him to let it go on my behalf. (We all know how men can be with their sports cars!) He told me to go get the treatment that I needed because he was selling his car. Again I wept, not only did I feel the love from my King in Shining Armor but my Knight as well, and both were a love I did not deserve. It was unfortunate that my faith in the One True God had started to diminish because there was no need for that to happen.
“And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:31“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. John 10:10-11
I love how these two verses are side by side in this passage. Jesus is pointing out how the enemy is working hard to take us down, but the Lord reminds us of WHO He is and the type of life that we would have with Him as our Good Shepherd.
This is what I want you to remember when you go through difficult times in your own life:
You are God’s princess and He is your King in Shining Armor. He won’t let you down. He will rescue you in your time of need even when you don’t feel like He is going to show up.
He has not forgotten about you. Cling to His promises. Be in His Word so you can be encouraged in your faith.
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17
Be still. Wait and listen for His voice. He will lead you if you are willing to be led.
Listen for the sound of His horse, because He is coming!
Live a poured out life for Christ,
Jolene
[…] you missed my last post, Aching Inside, you can read it here because it goes along with this […]
Jolene,
I just finished reading your posts. God surely led me to you! Not only can I relate to your health issues, but the financial devastation that goes hand in hand. I am inspired and reminded that God is good all the time and that all of these trials are part of His refining. To top it off we have the same last name and the township I live in is Alabaster!! Yup, divine appointment for sure!