“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”
3 John 2
Rocky and Barb were so thrilled to finally have their baby daughter. Kathleen Marie brought much joy when she arrived after three failed pregnancies. Two years after her birth, her sister Rita was born. After her baby sister was old enough to sit and play, the two girls occasionally slept in the same crib, growing together. Kathy would reach her little hand through the rails of the baby bed and say, “Hold hands, Mom.”
Like any other baby, Kathy grew and thrived—until she didn’t. Symptoms of vomiting for no apparent reason, odd rapid-eye movements, loss of ability to walk, and a diminishing desire to eat began to stunt her development.
Her mother’s retelling of a series of events continues to be engraved in Kathy’s memory. Doctor after doctor never offered a satisfactory diagnosis. The conglomeration of issues didn’t lend themselves to a firm finding, but the little family still made an effort to discover something that would help their cherished little girl.
When she was about three, young Kathy began to go into fits of grand mal seizures. Her little body slipped into a rapid deterioration. Soon, she was unable to walk. Eating—she had no interest.
Brain scans, even in the early 1960s, revealed that she experienced many seizures. During a convulsion, brain cells actually die. Electrodes were placed in various places on Kathy’s small skull, and the testing revealed that many cells had met their demise.
Not long after a doctor confirmed epilepsy, Kathy’s decline occurred so quickly that she was very near death. With nothing to lose, Mom chose to call the elders of the church to anoint her beloved daughter, requesting the Lord to intervene and heal what science could not.
“Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.”
James 5:14–15 (NASB)
At the appointed time, Kathy waited in the living room for the church officials to arrive. As soon as the prayer concluded, miraculously, Kathy demanded, “I’m hungry! Where’s the food?”
As time marched onward, anyone who knew Kathy could see that she was a different person—no longer plagued by seizures of any kind. No miracle medicine could account for the healing—only the fervent prayers to the living God caused a marvelous, instant change.
At her next doctor’s visit, Kathy strolled into the office on her own two legs for her appointment with a much-surprised physician. More testing revealed no dead brain cells existed, and her brain was perfectly normal. God’s healing restored life to all of her cells.
Call to Action
Throughout the Bible, we see rejuvenation of health. King David wrote, “The Lord will sustain him upon his sickbed; in his illness, You restore him to health” (Psalm 41:3 NASB).
God desires to heal us, both physically and spiritually. He alone can heal you fully and completely—restoring joy to your life and healing in your soul. Will you accept His offer?
“Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for You are my praise.”
Jeremiah 17:14 (NASB)
Unless noted otherwise, scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman \ Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org
