god of miracles

Jul 21, 2013

I believe in a God of miracles. This is one of the deepest beliefs I hold. I have said it to countless doctors who say I can’t be healed. I remember after the car accident seeing an OB for a two-hour pelvic exam and being told all my uterine ligaments were torn and that I needed to have a hysterectomy because I could not bear another child. I looked him right in the eye and said “You may be right, but I believe in a God of miracles and I will not take the opportunity of healing away from God by removing my uterus. He can heal me enough to have another baby and I am going to pray in faith for that to happen.” He argued with me and said faith is one thing, but science is another and in this situation I needed to listen to science. I responded “You may be right. These ligaments may never heal. I may never give birth to another child, but I WILL NOT take the opportunity for a miracle away from God.”

Well, God DID work a miracle and we have our precious Annesley Aliyah. Yes, my pelvis is a big ball of problems and yes, my ligaments are really, really messed up, and yes, I have been living with a labral tear in my right hip socket for eighteen long months…but we have Annesley and really, that is what is important. That is what matters. She is a shining example of God’s miracles.

Today my dear friend, Heather, has been poured out a blessing from the God of miracles. Do you remember when I shared her son’s music video. Go watch it again and fall in love with Josh. He is a remarkable young man.

Yesterday Josh, Elder Burton right now, was in an accident in Guatemala. The truck he was riding in on the way to a service project rolled and he was critically injured, breaking his back in multiple places, losing all sensation in his legs, and many other injuries. People around the world started praying and fasting for Elder Burton immediately. My girls are fasting for him today and our family continues to kneel in prayer for him, his medical team, and his family. Last night he had surgery on his back and I’m sure thousands of prayers were poured out on his behalf throughout the surgery. This morning Elder Burton has been given a miracle. Here is the post from his mama, Heather.

NEWS!

Josh underwent delicate surgery last night to shore up his very broken back. The surgery was successful; he has eight pins in his spinal column to hold things together while he heals and while the swelling and deep bruising subside.

Our first call today was from Josh’s kind and deeply concerned mission president, President Curtis. He carefully broke the news the surgeon had given after the surgery last night. We were devastated. For about 30 minutes this morning, we were wrestling with what to tell people – the bald facts being that Josh has a 1 – 3% chance of walking again…that his recovery will take up to a year and a half…that he can’t be moved for two weeks at least. It was surreal. All we could do was sit in stunned thought…Josh’s love of the outdoors, his joie de vivre, his aspirations with music – wondering how anyone could tell him it might all be different now. We wondered about saying that, despite those odds, all of those dear missionaries and leaders in Guatemala and in the Church, are in deep, thoughtful fasting for our son’s recovery, in addition to the prayers, thoughts and hopes here and around the world. That we were still holding hope for a miracle.

Then Dr. Cameron called us. He is the medical liaison for the LDS Church, our link to the medical professionals in Guatemala. He had just attended the post-op medical examination of Josh after the surgery. He was crying. JOSH CAN LIFT AND BEND AND MOVE HIS LEGS. He said he has never seen anything like this in his 38 years of practise. (He has seen miraculous healing, he mentioned, but not neurological, and not to this extent so soon after a devastating accident.) The surgeon couldn’t believe it. He just kept shaking and shaking Josh’s hand, congratulating him. We are all SO, SO, SO GRATEFUL.

Thank you, dear Father in Heaven. Thank you for this gift for Josh. Thank you to everyone for loving care, thoughts, prayers, faith and fasting. We are just so overcome with gratitude.

We are SO GRATEFUL. There are no words for this. But there are tears and dances in the kitchen!

Hallelujah! I know God is a God of miracles. I know He works miracles in the lives of His children every day. I am so, so grateful for this miracle. Because of experiences like this, I know, absolutely know God can heal me. Because I know He can and is not healing me in a quick, overnight sort of way, I know He is choosing to let me have a different experience. I know this experience of pain and dependency and slowness and frustration is for my good and is what I need at this time. My constant prayer is one of trust…please, please help me trust you, please help me continue to love you when the miracle is not fast, please teach me and comfort me and help me get through the pain.

And He does.

Because He is a God of miracles, a God of love, a God of compassion.