Need a Miracle?

Ever feel forgotten? Or like there’s no good end in sight? Maybe you look at others around you and see them getting the things that they’ve prayed for while you continue to wait. Maybe it’s just that you seem to be struggling worse than everyone else around you, and you wonder when it’s going to be “your turn.” At times like that, you’ve got to practice focusing on the positive and remembering the things that God has done for you.

We’ve talked a bit about focusing on the positive. If you’ve missed those posts, the idea is that you have to be intentional about the things that you let yourself dwell on. By continually bringing your mind back to anything good that is going on in your life—even if it’s as basic as the fact that you were able to get out of bed of your own will this morning—you will slowly begin to overcome the obsession on the things that aren’t going as well in your life.

Another aspect of this is purposeful remembering. Put simply, when you’re in a bind, remember the things that God has already brought you through and accomplished in your life. When you’re tempted to believe that God has forgotten you, focus on these memories and know that he’s still there with you; his promise is never to fail you or abandon you (Deut. 31:6).

Sometimes it’s easier to believe God to come through for the little things, but quite another thing to trust him for something big. I can relate! Often I have to remind myself of some of the incredible things he’s done in my life. One of the biggest of these is the time that he miraculously healed my ankle. Here’s the story:

Oh, No, Not Again!
Nearly six years ago, I was in the midst of the divorce process and at the lowest point of my life. My son and I were living in an apartment complex while waiting for the construction to be completed on the condo we’d be moving into.

As part of my stress management, I was out for a walk around the apartment complex when suddenly, my ankle gave way with an audible “pop,” and I tumbled into the grass next to the road. Waves of pain washed over me, and I found myself unable to even get back to my feet. Thankfully, a neighbor saw me, stopped his car, helped me to my feet, and drove me back to my apartment.

I managed to hop through the door, grab some ice, and collapse on the sofa, crying all the while. Elevating the foot did nothing to help. My right ankle had been injured multiple times since childhood, and it was prone to weakness. This was not the first time it had collapsed under me, but it was definitely the worst. X-rays confirmed that nothing was broken, so I got into a pattern of icing, elevating, and leaving it in a brace for support.

Six weeks later an RN friend came to visit. She took one look at my purple, swollen ankle and declared that something was not right. She cajoled me into calling an orthopedist.

A couple weeks and an MRI later, my worst fears were confirmed: The ligament that wraps around the outside of the ankle to keep it from flopping to the side was torn almost 50% through. I had two options: Continue to use a walking cast any time I was on uneven ground (possibly for the rest of my life) and possibly have to have surgery later, or go ahead and have the surgery now. If I chose the surgery, I was told that I would be flat on my back and completely out of work for two weeks. The next four weeks would involve crutches. I would not be able to drive any of those six weeks. Following that, I would be in physical therapy for six months.

By this time, our condominium was completed and we’d moved in. We live on the second story, so our lives now involved daily stairs. Additionally, as a single parent with a 5-year-old, there was no one else to drive us around. There were the financial considerations of missing work and the physical issues of taking care of my son and the mission trip to Russia that I was scheduled to take in four months.

On the heels of this news came the final blow. My son Austin was running around the living room, tripped, and gashed his head on the coffee table. It was the last straw. On the way to pick up medical supplies I needed for him, I had a complete fit with the Lord. There’s no pretty way to say it. I had a full-out temper tantrum. I was so angry. How could he let this happen? He knew I was a single parent. He knew all of the challenges I was already up against! He knew that I had to be able to drive and care for Austin. Was he trying to take me to the breaking point? On and on I went, until I finally ran out of energy. Once I did, I apologized to God for all of my ranting and asked for his forgiveness. As bad as I felt for the outbreak, I felt relief to finally acknowledge those feelings and let him deal with them.

A Miracle Happens
Early one morning, probably a week after the meltdown, I was up working on a Bible study. As I sat there, I recounted in my mind all of the scriptural examples I could recall of times when God either miraculously healed someone or even raised them from the dead.

A bleary-eyed Austin shuffled in because he’d woken up afraid, and I went to lay down with him in his bunk bed. As I laid there, I continued to pray and remind myself and God of all of those miracles. “If it’s your will to heal me, I know that you can,” I prayed, “but if it’s your will for me to have the surgery then I accept it.” In that instant I heard in my spirit, “Take up your mat and walk.” Immediately, the pain disappeared. The difference was so radical that for a moment, I thought I had fallen asleep and was dreaming.

Wide awake, I gingerly made circles in the air with my foot. No pain. I got up and stood on the ankle. Still no pain and no weakness. When I walked out to the kitchen so I could look at it in the light, the bruising and swelling were gone. It was healed, and I was dumbfounded!

A week later, I made the return visit to the orthopedist to satisfy a skeptical friend who wasn’t sure whether to believe what had happened. As soon as his nurse saw me without the walking cast, in sandals, and without bruising or a limp, her eyes widened and she said, “Let me get the doctor.” The doctor confirmed what I already knew: There was absolutely nothing wrong with the ankle. He released me with a shake of his head and a grin.

To this day, my right ankle continues to be strong. I’ve had no additional issues. And as an added bonus, the severe seasonal allergies that had plagued me since childhood vanished with the ankle injury. Imagine!

What This Means to Me Now
We are all tempted at times to get discouraged and believe that our lives are always going to be difficult, something we’re waiting for is never going to happen, and even if God had the power to fix something in our lives, he wouldn’t bother with someone as insignificant as we.

During those times, I think back on this miracle. I remind myself that God is willing and able to do what’s best for me in his way and in his timing. In this particular instance, I think I had to be willing to get to the place where I was absolutely okay with whatever happened to my ankle and to trust that he had my best in mind no matter the outcome.

His Ways Are Higher than Ours
In the next couple of posts I’m going to share a bit more about healing miracles and times when those miracles don’t take place. One is the miraculous story of my aunt’s healing from a brain aneurism. The other is the tragic loss of three people who were dear to me due to cancer. God loved them all—still does. They are all Christians, and yes, those who’ve died and are his continue to live on in eternity. As a minister at one of those friend’s funerals said today, “Death, when you’re a Christian, is the ultimate healing.”

We’re not always going to understand the reasons that some things happen on this earth. During those times, we need to remember two things:

1. God’s ways are higher than our ways, and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9)
2. “One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving.” Psalm 62:11-12a


God has the power to act in your life. Trust him to do it in the way, and in the timing that’s best for you. But know that miracles still happen. I can vouch for that!