A few days ago Glennis found a couple of videos from 1999 of me sharing the message of hope that God had given me concerning Nehemiah 2:4, where the king asked Nehemiah, “what is it that you ask?” He said he wanted to go to Judah to rebuild the walls of the Temple so that it could restore hope to his fellow Hebrews.

God also asked me in Arizona in 1998, “what is it you ask?” and “where” did I want to go to serve Him. I said I wanted to be healed and to reach thousands and thousands of souls with the message of hope. Upon His insistant questioning I replied to the question of “where” to be Phoenix, Arizona ( I have since always wondered why I stated that particular location). These tapes reaffirmed the same message that I continue to say today. God loves you, has a plan for your life, and despite your circumstances you too can believe God for a promise, a hope and a future. Believing is not always easy and your body can talk your spirit right out of trusting God when you don’t see any evidence of your promise. This is the place where you can grow the most in your spiritual walk with Christ. Satan always will try to rob, steal and destroy you through unbelief, just as he tried to discourage and kill Nehemiah in the Valley of Ono (Neh 6:2).

Since the Fall of 1996, I began to notice subtle changes in my agility and strength. My body continued to grow weaker, especially my right shoulder girdle and fingers. I saw my family Doctor in Aug ‘97 and she suggested I should see nerve specialists since I could have anything ranging from a pinched nerve to A.L.S. I didn’t know what A.L.S. was until one day in September. A nurse showed me a book on diseases and I looked up A.L.S. I had the same symptoms the book outlined and the life span was 2-5 years, with no cure. This horrified and paralyzed me. Waiting patiently on God in desperate prayer, my arm and fingers twitching,   

In Oct. 1997 (before my official diagnosis) on a Sunday morning before Church I opened my Bible and asked God to show me in His Word what He was saying to me in all this uncertainty concerning my health. God had me open to Nehemiah 2 it was there I read where Nehemiah approached the King with a sad countenance because the city of his people lied in waste with the walls torn down. My heart sounded for joy within me when I read verses 4 through 6 where the King asked Nehemiah, “what is it that you ask?” and Nehemiah said, “If it pleases the King and if I have found favor in your sight, I ask to go to Judah and to rebuild it.” The King said, “how long will the journey take and when will you return?” Nehemiah set a time and it pleased the King to send him.

After meditating on this portion of scripture I called Glennis into the living room and read to her Nehemiah 2. I shared with her what God had spoken to me concerning Nehemiah being distraught because of the condition of Jerusalem and it’s torn down walls, then Nehemiah’s encouragement after the King granted his request to rebuild the walls. I said that I believed God was saying to me that He would rebuild the walls in my body and I would no longer have to worry or be sad because I was not soon to die. We then got ready for Church and when we arrived found out we were having a guest speaker from Maine preach. The guest Pastor said that he had prepared a message that morning but the Holy Spirit had directed him to Nehemiah 2 instead. Glennis and I looked at each other in amazement as we tearfully acknowledged how personal God was to us. We received the message in thankfulness and confirmation . Specifically, God had confirmed to me that Sunday morning that I would be healed. A strong faith rose up in my heart that day, because it came from Him and I knew I could trust Him, though my faith in Him was being tested. God was preparing me for the fiery trials that were soon to come.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 28th, 2006 at 11:12 am and is filed under Journal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.