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THE LADY WHO WOULD NOT QUIT 3/22/09
During the healing conference I recently attended, they
separated the parts of the sanctuary for different
needs. Those that had prayer needs about bones were to
go to the far corner. So I got up and started my slow
progression towards that very long walk. I soon caught
up with a lady who was having a terrible time
maneuvering. In her right hand was a cane, and that
side of her body appeared normal. On the other side was
her husband who had his arm around her as she would take
one step forward with her right side, then lift her left
hip and kind of hurl her leg and foot forward for
another step. Her foot was not facing forward, it would
wobble all over the place and each hurl was totally
exhausting for her. She was persistent and did not give
up.
I refused to pass by her in order to get into the prayer
line; it was a holy moment to walk behind her. And
therefore all the people behind me could not pass
either, since I walked one step behind her on her right,
so the 3 of us filled the aisle. The whole line of us
would take one step forward and then stop. I found
myself holding my breath as I watched it take every bit
of her strength to move the left side of her body
forward. Finally we were about 15’ from the prayer team
and at that step she kept fumbling and could not get her
foot down. It was dangling and not cooperating and she
was putting in so much effort. Finally I heard her cry
out, ”JESUS HELP ME!” At that moment a man from the
prayer team ran and got a chair and brought it to her
and she sat down as they stepped forward to pray for
her.
Last night while I was in bed praying for her, the Lord
reminded me that several times I have been in such
excruciating pain that I have had to fight off
temptations for a wheel chair. I am fighting off a
lupus and RA flare and cannot use a walker or cane
because I cannot put weight on my shoulders, wrists or
hands. So far, during the hours when my meds wear
completely off, it’s either walking in pain, or the
threat of total dependency. This has broken my heart
more than once as I have refused to give up, knowing
what muscles I have would whither away, should I go that
route. Every day I pray the Lord keeps me mobile and
walking. Sometimes it is very, very hard.
As I was thinking of this precious lady, I suddenly
understood the depth of her cry, “JESUS HELP ME!” I
instantly knew that she had refused a wheelchair. And
she could have easily had her husband carry her up that
isle. I understood that her walk forward to receive
deliverance and healing represented each one of us in
our greatest moments of weakness.
Paul said that we give more honor to the weakest parts
of the body.
1 Cor 12:22-23 AMP
But instead, there is [absolute] necessity for the
parts of the body that are considered the more weak.
And those [parts] of the body which we consider rather
ignoble are [the very parts] which we invest with
additional honor...
He has called each of us to face our mountains and
overcome them. Sometimes, it takes every bit of our
tenacity to hang onto our strength of will not to quit.
Nevertheless, what we don’t see is what God sees about
our efforts.
When we are our weakest and refuse to quit, He calls us
the most courageous, valiant, brave and strongest
members of His body!!!! When we labor to lean on the
Lord in order to move forward past our mountains, we are
truly His bravest and most honorable vessels. He
treasures us so deeply and is so very, very proud of
us!
2 Cor 4:7-11 NKJV
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that
the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed ;
we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but
not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed — 10
always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord
Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in
our body. 11 For we who live are always delivered to
death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may
be manifested in our mortal flesh. |
