During the Christmas of 2011, I flew in to Atlanta from Seattle to visit my family as I do each year at that time. In particular, I wanted to visit my mother, who had Stage 4 terminal lung cancer. She was extremely distraught since the doctors had now told her that they could do nothing to cure her. During my visit, she ended up moving from her home to Northside Hospital in north Atlanta. 🚑 I had made arrangements with my cousin to have her pastor come and pray with my mother. I was really disappointed when he came and she refused his offer.
While I was visiting with her in the hospital, the staff announced that she would be moving up to the Cancer ICU unit several days after I was scheduled to fly back to Seattle. The spiritual burden on my family was huge. But, no one had more distress than my mother. While I was at my mother's bedside, alongside my sister and my niece, I asked my mother if I could pray for her. We all bowed our heads, and I prayed: "Lord, I just pray that you pour out your love, and your grace, and your joy, and your mercy on my mother. Surround her with your angels and protect her, Lord. Give her peace and comfort, Lord. Heal her. Let your love and your Holy Spirit pour through her, Lord. Give her everything that is good, and sweet, and holy. I pray all of these things in the name of Jesus. Amen" Shortly after that, I left and flew back to Seattle, knowing that I would likely not see my mother again, in this life. ✈️
Several days passed, and I got a call from my niece. She said that Nanny was moved up to the Cancer ICU unit, which was not a big surprise, since I had already heard that. But, what I heard next was absolutely unbelievable.
My niece told me that when Nanny was moved up to the Cancer ICU unit, she was assigned two nurses - Joy and Grace. When Nanny heard their names, my niece told me, she got goosebumps. She immediately remembered the prayer that I prayed, asking God to give her Joy & Grace. God knew that what Nanny needed most was to be assured of His presence. She needed that spiritual healing, that Peace, that Joy, that Grace, more than she needed anything else.
At first, my reaction was that God must be joking, since I didn't request that two nurses named "Joy" and "Grace" would assist my mother. But, God knew the heart of my mother! And, he also knew how weak our faith was, and how it needed to be strengthened. Although I have been a Christian since 1990, I didn't realize until this moment in Jan 2012, that God knows before we are born, what we will pray and when we will be praying it. He knows what our needs are, and what our desires are. We often may think that we are interrupting God from more important work when we pray. We may think that we are surprising Him with our requests. But, it is His greatest pleasure to answer our requests. What still amazes me to this day, about the way that God answered this prayer, is how He had to open and close doors in the lives of these women in order to answer this prayer in the way that He did. When it came time for the nurses to be named, for career paths to be chosen, for employers to be sought - God was setting the wheels in motion to make this work, according to how He wanted to answer that prayer! That is insanely humbling to think that we are worth that much of His energy! ❤️ Certainly, if we want our prayers answered in the affirmative, we must pray in the center of God's will. It is always God's desire to draw people closer to Him. He can draw people to Himself through healing or through sickness. Pray with boldness! Remember that it is God's pleasure to reveal to us His love! Jeff Roberts
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."
- Romans 8:28
"No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." - Joshua 1:5
I got goosebumps just reading this!!! Praise God!!