Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving weekend I was sharing a short video and some photos of my recovery from a devastating accident. On February 19, I had wrapped my bike around a post and suffered serious pelvic, sacroiliac, hip and femur breaks. As well I had multiple complications, oxygen, blood clots and dangerously low blood pressure. At this present moment as even the trauma orthopedic team say, I "am a walking miracle." I know that is true; I call it my Thanksgiving Story.

When serious things like this happen, whether an accident or an illness one may question, “Why me?” I'm sure that is a familiar question that each of us have asked some time. I felt very protected in my spirit during this trauma and I did not wonder, where is God. I knew His presence was close. Other people had their questions, ”Why her?” “What did she do wrong?” “Why wouldn't God protect her?” “Is she out of God's will?”

 Recently I was awakened at night, and I picked up an anthology of Smith Wigglesworth sermons and life teaching. The subtitle was “God is more eager to answer then we are to ask.” That set it apart from many other texts! God is eager to answer! In reading through some of this teaching I came across this: "Our Lord Jesus Christ... lived and moved in a place of long-suffering. There is a fruit of the Spirit that must accompany the gift of healing and that is long-suffering. The man going through with God to be used in healing must be long suffering, to get to a place where one is able to help the needy.” This reverberated in my spirit as much as the bike striking the post reverberated my entire body.

 I had spent some days and nights before the Lord so mindful of all the healing that is needed in this world—body and spirit. I was pondering with the disciples, "What must we do to work the works of God?" Jesus replies, believe on Him. A few verses later He talks about how we hunger and thirst. I understood that my hunger is satisfied because of my belief on the Lord Jesus Christ. I am comforted by Him, by the Holy Spirit, by the Word, and all the Scripture planted in my heart. I also know that I am still thirsty. I have such longing to know the Lord more, and to see His works in this desperate world. I wondered if the Lord could use me. Then, I saw, yes, He could use me because of long-suffering. If you read through my books, but especially “God Me and the World,” you hear that heart cry of long suffering in my life.

 I didn't understand fully the bike accident. I understood in part, I saw how God used it all around me for others. The Lord had given me a warning in advance of the battle I was about to embark on through that accident. I had had a vision the same day as I was praying in the early morning. I saw myself leave the house by the back door. I glanced down and I was clothed in an old-fashioned chain mail armor and a cloak like an ancient warrior. I said to the Lord, "Oh, a fight." And He replied, "Yes, a fight like none other." And it was.

 Smith Wigglesworth eliminated the darkness of my understanding to state so emphatically that to have the active and productive gift of healing from God, the prerequisite is long suffering. Without this gift of the Spirit it could not be activated. I had suffered many things in my walk with the Lord, yet this case was "like none other." Smith Wigglesworth added this closure to my situation: "We must be covetous for God's Best Gifts and say Amen to any preparation the Lord takes us through.” And He took me through the preparation.

 Then Wigglesworth concludes we can be humble usable vessels through whom God can operate by means of the Holy Spirit's power.

 So if you are one whom people wondered about—why did something happen to you?—remember the Scripture, " Master, who did sin, this man or his parents that he was born blind? Neither... but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." This was for God's glory. So, accept the preparation and say Amen to it! Be glad you suffered long because the Lord can move in the power of His Spirit with the gift of healing for you and for others.