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August 12, 2002 Dear Readers,
I knew you would have opinions. Why else would you read mine so faithfully? When I was stumped a few weeks ago on how to answer the follow-up question to “Healed in Houston,” I went to you to find out what you thought. (Even wise old ladies need advice sometimes!) Naturally, I
received responses from many of you. Some
readers wrote to give advice and some just gave their own testimony
as an example to follow. Unfortunately,
their advice is mixed. Some think Who’s right? Only the good Lord knows. That scripture about working out your own salvation (may I add the word “faith” here?) with fear and trembling is a good one. So, are you ready to tour the thoughts of our readers? I have a feeling that I won’t be able to resist adding a comment or two in between. And, if you make it all the way to the end, there’s a surprise for you. Dear Gabby, I agree with what you had to say about needing proof, but I also know that sometimes God "heals" a person, but the proof is not there for many years. Sometimes a person is not immediately healed, but that doesn't change the fact that God touched him. I
am a personal example of that. I
also was in a service in which God moved mightily, and I felt as if God had
touched me and healed me from scoliosis. Well,
that has been over a year ago and my spine is still curved and I still have
severe back pain more often than not. But
I continue to believe God touched me and that, one day, my back will be healed
completely. We just have to remember
that God does things in His own timing. Don't
lose faith if it doesn't happen immediately; just keep trusting and believing! Faith-builder
in
Dear Gabby, In response to your question—which is a very good one—I simply trusted God. I also had an underactive thyroid, which pretty much seemed to stop working as soon as I became pregnant with my first child. I developed a goiter, in spite of getting plenty of iodine. During that time we were unable to afford medical help. I spent a period of time struggling to breathe, with just enough air to stay between waking and sleeping. About that time, I met the Lord. I had surgery while I was seeking the Holy Ghost. The doctor took out all of it that he could get to. He left a tiny part that was too close to my voice box. He gave me a prescription for pills, which I have never taken. Some days were better than others, but I continued to struggle with the problem. So I prayed and asked the Lord for a new thyroid.
He gave it to me. The doctors
through the years have looked at me wide-eyed and said, "Thyroids don’t
grow back." Well, they were right. It didn’t grow back.
Instead, God gave me a brand new, perfect one!
Since most of mine had been removed, and the old one had always been
measured as below normal, there was no way this new thyroid could be related to
the old one. I threw the prescription away when the symptoms went away.
The best advice I know to give is to trust the Lord.
He is well able to let someone know when to stop taking the medication
and even whether to stop cold turkey or gradually.
He will take each case individually and give the person involved the
particular direction for their situation. Trusting in
While the Lord is giving out new
body parts, I wonder if he’d give me some new knees?
They seem to be the first part of the body to fall apart, except of
course, for the hands, face, arms, and legs!
I have a feeling I’ll have to wait for that completely new body when I
cross chilly
Dear
Gabby, No, of course she doesn't go off her medication! Healing is overrated. The signs and wonders of miraculous healings are given to the church to draw attention to God's power and to help the unbeliever to know that God is real. The strong, mature Christian does not need miracles for proof of God's goodness. In fact, a long trial without healing will actually draw a person closer to God and into a depth with God that an instant healing will not. Healing and life are not His ultimate goal for you on this earth. His ultimate goal for you is a relationship with Him. Why not focus on a relationship with God and allow Him to draw you into an intimacy with Him that you have never felt before? Live through your weaknesses and accept them with relish, because in them He is made strong. Take your pills and when you are shipwrecked on an empty desert island and your pills are in your ship cabin at the bottom of the sea, accept God's answer that you should stop taking your pills and trust your life to be in His hands. (Be careful. He may take it.) Until then, trust the common sense that He has given you. Stronger in Stittsville
My neighbor, Charles Brownley, had plenty of ideas of how I should grow my strawberries. When he’d see me weeding or watering them, he’d invariably lean over the back fence to comment on how I should add fertilizer or mulch or how I should cut them back or something. I always (well, usually) thanked him politely for his advice, but I felt that he’d have something so much more valuable to say if he had his own strawberry patch. He may have had a good point or two, but it was rather difficult to accept what he said since he wasn’t trying to grow strawberries himself. It’s always easier to be sure about something when you’re not struggling with it yourself.
Hi Gabby! I usually don't answer these things, but felt I should do so today. I believe that it is "according to your faith." Do you have enough faith to discontinue medication? If you do, I believe God will honor that. After all, "your faith has made you whole." It
is like skydiving. You can't try to sky dive - you either do it or you don't.
You can't say "I will give it a try, and see if it works."
Once you're "out there," you can't decide you don't like it and
turn back. It is the same when
dealing in faith. You can't try faith in God—either you have it or you don't.
It is not true faith if, in midstream, you decide you want to turn back.
God has granted everyone a
measure of faith. It is up to you
whether or not you want to put it to use. Faithful in Philadelphia
Dear Gabby, I have such a strong opinion about this subject, so I am thrilled to get a chance to express it. God created man in His image. For thousands of years, man has been fascinated by the human body that God created. The body has been pinched, poked, cut, studied, and discovered—all in the name of science. Because of this overwhelming fascination, great leaps have been made in cures and prevention of diseases. In times past, people were placed in asylums, in lock-down, or even killed because of their diseases, but for the first time in the history of medicine, people are able to live healthy, normal lives due to medication. This is not by accident, but this is a beautifully orchestrated process, ordained by God. I know of two women in particular who stop taking their medicine when a faith healer comes to our church, and repeatedly they are placed in the hospital to be treated for their illnesses. These are women of great faith with families and children to care for, but when their faith is not met with a healing, it causes a greater detriment. For months, their lives are put on hold while their loved ones nurse them back to health. There is nothing wrong with having faith that God will miraculously heal you, but, if for some reason God, in His infinite wisdom, does not remove the illness, you must send up thanksgiving that you live in an era where you can benefit from all the years of medical study. This, in my mind, is your healing. Medically-minded in Missouri
I can certainly verify how ill people were treated in those “times past” you mentioned. Some time I’ll tell you the story of the time Stanley’s silly wife Shirley developed a painful boil on her (how can I say this delicately?) posterior. But that’s a different subject and we don’t have room for that one today.
Dear Gabby, I thought your answer was both reasonable and good advice. I just wanted to share my personal experience with living with a thyroid disease. I discovered a couple years ago (at the age of 40) that I had an
underactive thyroid. But before I
went to the doctor, I thought I might need some vitamins or some iron.
I was feeling very tired all the time, my hair was falling out, I felt
cold in the summer even wearing a sweater, and even though I had a good
appetite, I was still losing weight. After trying to cure myself for a while, I went to the doctor.
She discovered that my thyroid was so underactive that it was barely
reading on the chart. I understand wanting to believe that God has touched you. But I also agree with Gabby that you need to consult with your doctor. In my case, without the doctor's help, who knows what my physical condition would be today? God has given doctors knowledge to help people since, years ago, certain medical conditions were untreatable. Most of us have medical insurance, just in case. We may never use it, but it is good to have it so we’re assured that we won't be in debt if we get really sick. Even though many people take medications for different medical conditions, I don't think it means they have less faith; it is just a part of their lives. God decides. At Peace in Peoria
I’m always happy when someone believes that my advice was both reasonable and good. Too bad you weren’t around to convince my little, brown-eyed daughter Kristy when she was fourteen years-old!
Hi Gabby, I,
too, face this same dilemma. My son
is on medication for seizures. I
believe he has been healed, but I was in a quandary about removing him from the
medication. Our doctor has been
working with us for 15 years. I
spoke to her regarding my belief about my son’s healing.
He has not had a seizure for five years.
The doctor listened patiently to my descriptions and concerns.
(The medication has other serious side effects as well.) She
suggested that we wean him off of his medications.
That way, he would not have any withdrawal symptoms, either.
We have been working on his withdrawal for six months now.
I am happy to say that he is down to only one pill a day instead of
three. Praise God! This is one of the situations where I am afraid there is no one answer, but God will work out whatever He sees to be right. Believing in Baltimore
Dear
Gabby, Twenty-six years ago, my nephew Nathan was born. Unfortunately, the minute Nathan was born, he starting having seizures. He was immediately rushed to one of the nation’s best children’s hospital in Indianapolis. His parents were obviously distraught and could do nothing but ask the church to pray. The doctors told Nathan’s parents that he would have to stay on medication until he was at least three years old, possibly even the rest of his life. So, like good parents, they gave Nathan his medication every day. However, they did feel that Nathan had been healed. But how did they know for sure? After all, this was just a little baby who could not speak and tell them how he was feeling. So Nathan’s parents went to God again in prayer. They prayed that Nathan would not be able to tolerate the medication as he had always done if, in fact, God had healed him. After that, every time Nathan was given his medication, he would immediately toss it up. So at six months of age, he was removed from his medication under doctors’ care and has not taken any since. Maybe a prayer to that effect would be able to confirm the Healed in Houston healing. Nothing is impossible with God and he has some pretty creative ways of verifying His blessings. Confirmation from Cahokia
Dear Gabby, On
August 6, 2001 at 9:30 p m, my wife was instantly healed of a severe heart
condition. She had been recovering
from a recent heart attack and stroke. Her
memory was slowly returning and she was on twelve different daily medications.
Her patient files at the hospitals in our area were over three inches
thick! After that church service last August, she went to Steak-n-Shake, ordered two cheeseburgers, fries, and a strawberry shake. She stopped taking her medicine “cold turkey” and hasn't touched a drop of it since that date! At
her last check-up she was informed that her doctor's husband (a Presbyterian
pastor) has also been instantly healed! Appetite in Alexandria
Oh my! Two cheeseburgers, French fries and a strawberry shake? What a meal! Handsome old Jimmy Cooper and I shared one strawberry shake last week, but we had healthy grilled fish and steamed vegetables to go with it. Maybe next time, we’ll dare to try some cheeseburgers. And, now for the surprise I promised. How about a letter from “Healed in Houston” herself?
Dear Gabby, I'm the one who wrote you the original letter about coming off my medication after being healed. I've since read and followed your advice. I also read this week's responses to your recommendation to me, which made me decide to share a little about what has transpired concerning my condition. The letter writer’s point was good. With my condition it’s also hard to verify a total healing because the medication normalizes the abnormalities. So my doctor did a baseline test after my healing, which showed great improvement. Armed with this, he agreed to reduce my medication 25 percent and to hold steady for the next two months and then do another battery of tests. If all is well, then he will reduce it another 25 percent and wait another two months and again follow up with more tests. The goal is that in 6-8 months, providing the test results still show total health, I will be medication free. It is my personal conviction that the test results will continue to prove my God healed me. And, at the same time, I'll be safe and supervised closely by my doctor. I
believe the purpose of all of this is for a testimony to my circle of medical
professionals who have treated me over these many years! So, Gabby, in my opinion you were right on! I went to my doctor and followed his professional advice. Believe me, I am confident that my God can stand the scrutiny of the medical profession. I'll keep you posted! Thanks again. Healed in Houston
Thank you, my lovely and intelligent readers, for taking the time to write. It’s been an enjoyable way to get my mind off my own arthritic knees… Sincerely Sincere, Gabby
ninetyandnine.com © 2002, ninetyandnine.com --------- Gabrigail VanBurden has been offering advice for longer than most of you have been alive. Email your practical Apostolic life questions to Gabby@ninetyandnine.com and be prepared for some straight answers! |
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