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Miracle Month - June 2004
I am so thankful to God for His goodness to me. I can't help but rejoice! God
is a God of miracles! And He allowed June to be the month of miracles for me.
There were three that I want to share with you.
First I was invited to Steubenville to the Charismatic Conference on the Holy
Spirit and Healing. After the first session I spoke to one of my friends and
said maybe God will heal me of claustrophobia because sitting in the middle of
that crowd is a little suffocating. My friend responded with hope, and during
the rest of the weekend they saved me the isle seat.
One thing I was looking forward to was getting a good nights sleep. My husband
is a loud snorer and sleeping is a nightly adventure. Sometimes I wake up five
and six times a night and it has only gotten worse over the last ten years. I
shared some of these things with my friends and found they have the same
problem. I concluded it was an age thing and this too would pass some day.
After returning home from the conference I prayed for my friends and our
sleepless nights. Only this time when I prayed, I heard, "spirit of insomnia"
in my mind. First I thought it was made up then I realized that I never
thought that before. Maybe that was from God? So I prayed and rebuked that
spirit. Since then my husband still snores but I can sleep through the night
and wake up in the morning refreshed.
"...I will give you rest from all your enemies . . . " (2 Sam. 7:11). "Sleep
is sweet to the laboring man . . . " (Eccl. 5:11). "Come to Me, all you who
labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." (Mat. 11:28). Praise the
Lord! God hears our prayers and gives us rest!
The second miracle happened at church. Sometimes I can go to daily Mass at
Christ the King on East Livingston Avenue at noon. One day when my friend and
I attended Mass the church was in darkness. There was no electricity because of
some road work outside which must have been the reason for the darkness. But,
Praise be to God, Mass was still going on.
I recall how hard it was getting through Mass. The darkness was making me feel
so tired and depressed. It was becoming hard to concentrate until the time
when the priest consecrates the Eucharistic. At the very moment the Eucharistic
host was consecrated and placed on the altar the lights came on. The timing was
just miraculous. All the lights came on except the one directly above the
altar. Then, as the priest consecrated the Eucharistic wine, the light above
the altar came on, and all the lights were on. It felt to me that Jesus was
saying I Am here. I Am the Light of the world. I dispel all darkness. Trust
in Me. I Am Alive!
"...God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all" (1 Jn.1:5). "Jesus
spoke to them again, saying, I Am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me
will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (Jn.8:12). "I
came into the world as Light, so that everyone who believes in Me might not
remain in darkness." (Jn. 12:48).
The third miracle is: Jesus healed me of claustrophobia! Maxine invited me to
travel with her to Boston, MA for an NSC Council Meeting and Charismatic
Conference. We flew in a small airplane, the kind with two seats on one side
and one seat on the other. When I walked into the airplane and looked up at the
ceiling while waiting for the crowded line to be seated, I noticed my head was
very close to the ceiling and it took my breath away. I'm only 5'1" tall.
Claustrophobia has been a lifelong problem for me, but I have never let it
cripple me (thanks be to God). I would breathe shorter breaths and feel very
uncomfortable, but the anxiety never got so bad that I would pass out or that it
would stop me from doing things.
On the flight home Maxine asked if I had ever suffocated. I remembered
immediately what my mother once told me. When I was an infant she found me in
the crib, face down and all blue. When she turned me around, I began to breathe
and was all right. Then other memories started to flood my mind. When I was a
small girl my aunt took me swimming, placed me on her shoulders and ventured out
into the deep end of the water. She was being playful and kept dunking me
underwater. This frightened me and I thought I was going to drown. Then there
was the time I got stuck under the bed playing hide-and-go seek as a child.
After I shared these memories with Maxine she prayed with me. (The funny thing
is that we've been working and praying together for 14 years and we've never
even thought to pray about claustrophobia.) As Maxine prayed with me I took a
breath and everything changed. I was healed. The space in the airplane got
brighter, bigger and everything seemed clearer. My head felt clear of thought
and I knew I was healed at that very moment. Praise the Lord!
Then after I went home my husband told me several times how young I looked.
PRAISE THE LORD!
"Bless the Lord, my soul; all my being, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, my
soul; do not forget all the gifts of God, Who pardons all our sins and heals all
our ills, Delivers our lives from the pit, surrounds us with love and
compassion, Fills our days with good things; our youth is renewed like the
eagle's." (Ps. 103:1-5).
"Bless the Lord, my soul! Lord, my God, You are great indeed!" (Ps. 104:1). I
am forever grateful!
What miracles have you noticed in your life lately?
Your friend in Christ
Doreen
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