Shut down your biggest worry with a great closer.
Only one reliever works when there is no answer.
Mankind’s biggest worry
Three times in five years, my wife Judy got bad news about health.
“This is the worst MRI I’ve seen all year,” said the doctor.
So much for bedside manners.
“You need surgery,” the doctor muttered.
“But, doc, what about . . .”
“She needs surgery,” he muttered again.
In shock, we went for breakfast and attempted to calm down at the prospect of major back surgery.
That was early November 2014. Right before Thanksgiving.
Judy was writhing in pain unable to stand or walk.
She had multiple surgeries from April 2015 through March 2018.
The first surgery wasn’t a failure. It was a success.
But, it wasn’t enough due to the early conservative approach.
I was overwhelmed about Judy’s need for more surgery.
So, I turned to the only closer I know who shuts down our biggest worries.
Lifesaving prescription for ultimate healing
The Bible says divine intervention is possible by approaching God with thanksgiving.
Give thanks?! For what? Pain? Fear? Uncertainty?
Giving thanks in the middle of a calamity makes no sense unless you believe in God.
If you don’t, you’re on your own.
But, if you do, look closely at this remarkable promise.
“He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me; and to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God.” Psalm 50:23
I’d like to see salvation in my impossible crisis wouldn’t you?
So, I practiced thanksgiving prayer all through Judy’s surgeries.
Over and over I thanked God for his healing presence and believed Judy would recover to full health.
“Pray as you are comfortable praying. Pray prayers of gratitude. Pray prayers of petition. Pray formal prayers. Pray in your own words. Pray walking. Pray kneeling. Do what suits you, or what you think suits God.” Julia Cameron, Seeking Wisdom: A Spiritual Path to Creative Connection
I believe that thanking God is an act of trusting Him and enables one to find guidance.
“Pray and let God worry.” Martin Luther
He knows the best direction out of your hole.
Often, it looks like this.
How relief arrives
In a physical crisis, God speaks . . .
- through wise counsel like a doctor
- through an inner voice like a hunch
“Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.'” Isaiah 30:18-21
This is great news for folks seeking exceptional guidance.
The way out may not be what we think it should be or when it should be.
But, thanking Him is what the Bible prescribes for divine intervention.
- Thanksgiving
- Answer
- Relief
In between each of these is time.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” Jeremiah 29:11-12
I often ask God for healing. It doesn’t happen instantly. It happens right on time.
It did for Judy. Now she’s sailing her boat again.
And she just put the finishing touches on her magnum opus, Paper Girl’s World, to be released in early 2024.
Allow yourself the joy of God’s presence in thanksgiving prayer and watch what happens.
What’s your experience seeking help for a big worry?
Steve, this is really incredible. Praise God… Also, I’m thrilled that your blogging has been so good and consistent.
Thank you for this encouragement Wayne. My inspiration comes from your longtime creativity and commitment at waynestiles.com.