Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9
Joshua 1:9
![]() Recently, I was encouraged by the testimony of Barbara, who battled with a painful infection in her foot. It turned out to be a severe bone infection and some months after her initial doctor’s visit, she was told she would have to amputate her foot to possibly save her life. Although her faith was strong, at times she felt discouraged. At these times God used various people including her husband to encourage her. She even heard and received a word of knowledge on her healing. The healing, however, was not immediate yet she leaned on her faith in God believing that He would do what He promised. She believed that God would heal her in His time. At one time, when it seemed like the infection was going away another infection arose. It was very discouraging, yet, she felt God encouraging her to walk by faith not by sight. During her fourth MRI, she remembers having a peace and feeling a river of life, hope, love, healing flowing from the top of her head to the sole of her feet. She believed God had done something, God had shown up. A few days later, when her doctor looked at her MRI he found no signs of a bone infection. In fact, he had to use the previous MRI to locate where the wound had been on her foot. Today Barbara is in excellent health and is thankful for the doctors, medicine and prayers that contributed to her healing. Thanks to this experience she has grown closer to God and has learned to walk by faith not by sight. She encourages us to believe in God’s perfect timing even when we don’t see the results of our healing. I am encouraged by Barbara’s tenacious faith in God. Even when things were not going as she wanted, and in fact they got worse, she chose to hold on to God’s promise of healing. We love to hear about God’s promises but admittedly, when they are not manifesting as quickly as we would like, it can be easy for our faith to waver. We may even find ourselves turning away from God as desperation sets in and we seek other means of healing or deliverance. I am reminded of the story of the Syrophenician woman who insisted that Jesus cast a demon out of her daughter (Mark 7:25-30). The Lord’s response may have seemed cold as He in turn responded that He must first help His own people, the Jews: “But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled for it is not meet to take the children’s bread and to cast it unto the dogs” (v. 27). Her response was even more amazing: “And she answered and said unto Him, Yes Lord, yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs” (v. 28). She absolutely refused to give up even though the Lord of the universe had just turned down her request! She believed in what Jesus could do for her daughter and she held on to that and refused to take no for an answer. Jesus, moved by her determination and faith, did as she requested and when she returned home her daughter was delivered. Sometimes, we have to have tenacious faith. Even though things are not going the way we expect, even though things may be getting worse, once we know that we know that God has spoken, we need to hold on to His promise and trust that in His perfect timing He will bring it to pass. I am also reminded of the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4:8-38. The prophet Elisha had promised she would give birth to a son. It happened as he had promised. However, one day the child died. Although she held a dead child in her arms and she was distressed, she consistently told everyone who asked that it was well. She earnestly sought the prophet who prayed for him and he was restored to life. She had been promised a son and refused to accept his death. She chose to walk by faith not by sight! The faith walk is not an easy one. The good thing is you don’t have to do it alone. God is right there on that journey with you and He is the One to bring His promise to pass. It’s about trusting His timing and expecting Him to keep His Word. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is still the God who is able to do the impossible and He keeps His promises. He is well able to make His own Word a reality in His own perfect timing. Just trust Him.
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February 2025
AuthorThis blog provides inspirational nuggets inspired by the Word of God and serves to encourage and motivate Christians in their Christian walk. |