Press On and Stand Firm in the Lord

Some time ago the Lord spoke to our Pastor, Steve, about expecting miracles.  We are very grateful that our dear Madge is one such miracle.  My being alive and well today is another miracle of God and a testimony of His healing, grace, mercy, and faithfulness.  During the summer of 2004 I found myself in a very dry, desert place.  I was spiritually, emotionally and physically weary, getting up every morning by sheer determination to press on.  The past several years had been full of major life events and disappointments.  My heart was broken and I felt like a failure.  But God… is greater than any problem we have and His promises are true so I kept pressing on.  God impressed upon me to rest and wait.  While I had no choice about the wait part I didn’t do well with the direction to rest.  I kept forcing myself to “go and do” even though I didn’t feel like it.  My thought was that as long as I kept going and “got it all done” all would be well.  Then I would rest.  However, obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22) but I was focused on the “shoulds and oughts” rather than what God was saying.  At the same time I kept crying out to God knowing that things were not as He intended and that there had to me more.  Interesting, that part of my focus during this time was the prayer of Jabez ( 1 Chronicles 4:10)  As the summer progressed I did rest more because I couldn’t push anymore physically.  I began to sense God saying over and over, “It will be o.k.” and “Your latter days will be better that the former days” ( Job 42:12; Haggai 2:9).  And there was the “wait” again.  I had no idea what this meant but I knew God was there in a whole new way and that His promises are sure.  For an extended time I had been bothered by persistent cold, sinus, allergy-like symptoms, in and out of the doctors office and on various medications.  A follow up doctor visit in late November, due to severe difficulty breathing, resulted in a diagnosis of pneumonia and a trip by rescue squad to U. Va. Hospital in Charlottesville.  Most of the next month was spent there and has many missing pieces. I believe this was also part of God’s plan because it protected me from the many bad reports from the doctors.  I actually learned much of what happened after I was better. By biopsy of a site of infection that had developed in my brain, it was determined that I had developed a very rare form of bacterial pneumonia with the recorded chances of recovery very low.  This infection in my brain caused temporary loss of some neurological functions.  At one point I couldn’t even give my name, address or birthday when requested.  There were also negative effects on vision for a time.  It is a very humbling experience to lose your mental abilities, knowing something is very wrong, being unable to effectively communicate or see and being totally dependent on those around you.  Once the required antibiotics were started, there was a severe allergic reaction with fever in excess of what one usually survives.  But God…. had another plan.  “What the enemy means for harm God will use for good” (Genesis 50:20) .  While this illness was not good, God used it build my faith and bring glory to Him and his power.  An initial report of cancer was proven wrong.  The doctors first said that I would have to be off work for a year but God allowed me to go back part time in late Jan and full time by March.  The doctors said that the sites of infection generally decrease very slowly usually taking 6 months to 1 year.  But God! By a follow up appointment in Jan. it had decreased by half and was “almost completely resolved” by March.  And people say prayer doesn’t work!  Antibiotics did continue in varying forms for a year.  But by God’s grace and to the amazement of the doctors I was released from doctors’ care in Dec. 2005 and pronounced cured.  What a difference the touch of the Master’s hand makes!  In addition to my health, He truly blessed me and increased my territory, He restored relationships, He built faith, He reassured of His presence and love in new ways, He taught me about obedience, rest and dependence on Him.  While life will continue to hold trials and struggles, in the end it will be o.k. and the latter days are better than the former.

Philipians 4:1  …..so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.

Philipians 3:12-14  Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.  Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

For His Glory,

Debbie Adkins

02/06