818

This post is long overdue, but even despite delayed obedience, my hope is to bring glory to God through it. (** Interesting enough, this is now my third attempt at writing this – first, my pc crashed and I lost the draft; then, blogger crashed and didn’t allow me access)

First, some background information. While my parents were on their return trip from AZ this past spring, my Mom started experiencing dizzy and slight blackout spells. She went to the doctor to try to determine the cause and to hopefully find a solution. After several months, many doctor visits without a solution, some scary moments of “it might be …”, they finally diagnosed her with severe pulmonary hypertension. She was referred to a pulmonary specialist, and (as with most specialists) scheduled an appointment about 6 weeks out. During that time, she discovered ways to mostly avoid the spells, but still didn’t feel well and was limited in her activity (ie – no golfing :). We all researched pulmonary hypertension and discovered that it can be a very scary disease, much more than we originally thought. Several times, Mom said she really wasn’t sure she had pulmonary hypertension because the symptoms didn’t match what she was experiencing.

On another note, even before this occurred, I had been seeing the numbers 818 in an abundance - the store number for the local hardware store, addresses, time on the digital clock, etc. So much so, that it was hard to ignore. Knowing that God has to pretty much beat me over the head to get my attention at times, I wondered whether there was something significant about 818. I searched every single chapter 8, verse 18 in the Bible, but didn’t see anything obvious – nothing jumped out at me.

On a trip to PA in July, I was finishing up “So long, insecurity” by Beth Moore when the reference for Romans 8:18 literally jumped from the page. Romans 8:18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Aha – that must be it! Excited to narrow down the exact verse, I started to wonder who specifically it was for … me, family, friends, my Mom? I shared it with some dear people who were going through some “present sufferings” in hopes that they would be encouraged by His truth.

My Mom went to her initial appointment with the pulmonary specialist and was very pleased with his care. He scheduled a follow-up appointment with a cardiologist for a right heart catheterization, which is the only way to accurately measure the type and extent of the hypertension. In this, I had lost track of the exact date of her appointment. However, unknowingly, the night before as I lay down for bed I sensed the Lord nudging me to pray. I also sensed Him saying that I hadn’t prayed for healing for her, that I had only prayed for comfort, peace of mind, etc. It was true – I had only prayed for those things, and never for healing. I immediately prayed in faith for healing for her, fully knowing my Father knows best and that He has the power to heal her, but that He also is all-knowing and wise and that He could choose not to.

The next day after the test, which was August 18 (or 818), one of my sisters emailed the report to the rest of us that Mom did NOT have pulmonary hypertension! When the cardiologist ran the test, they determined that she did not have the disease at all. Praise the Lord!

Divine healing, or false-positive for pulmonary hypertension? Apparently, the only conclusive test for pulmonary hypertension is to go into the heart and measure with a catheter, so some may say that she never had it. Perhaps. She wasn’t even sure she had it, after all. Or, was she healed from it? Perhaps. God is certainly capable of healing and we did pray for it. I am not sure the question even really needs an answer, but in any case, I am praising the Lord for her health!

My hope is to be attentive to Him and where He is leading and speaking to me. I have felt like I needed to write this post for a while and am finally obeying. Glory to Him!

A.G.T.G. (All Glory to God – borrowed from one of John’s coworkers :)