I Believe You’re My HEALER!

I have wanted to write this blog for over a week now, but due to Internet, travel and busyness, I haven’t been able to. I want to tell people in person, but after some prayer, God also wants me to write about it. In Biblical times they may have only had word of mouth, but how much more can God use the internet! There are people that need to hear of God’s faithfulness. It is hard to put into words, but holy moley God is glorious!
 
Prayer is powerful! How many times have we heard this but not embraced it? God tells us that “Everyone who asks receive; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:8
 
I was diagnosed with scoliosis when I was 13 and a year later, it got much, much worse. From the time I was diagnosed until now, I have been going to a chiropractor for pain management and to help my spine. It helped a whole lot, but I was always limited because of the pain. I never talked about it too much, because it made me feel weak, and I didn’t want to be a complainer. I felt like no one understood but as I grew closer to the Lord in High School, I depended on Him more and more.

Flash forward to now. Being away from the chiropractor for 2 months has been painful, but never would I let that stop me from doing what I am called to do. I have prayed for God to take away my pain many times, especially on this trip. When I got out of the hospital, my pain was the worst. One night, I finally asked my team (Amy, Kirsten and Sarah) to pray for me. I had been praying for it myself, but God tells us to boast in our weaknesses, it was time I let others pray as well.

The next day I woke up in pain and it kept distracting me from the tasks that I was to do. Autumn asked me if I would like a professional massage. Of course I said “yes” and she brought me to Yolando, a missionary in Korea that had been staying at SHE for a couple weeks. She checked out my spine. She could tell how bad it was and gave me an amazing massage to loosen up my muscles. Then she helped me do exercises to breath and stand straight. God brought her here in amazing timing and I am so in awe of His provision.
 
The next night I told my team about my back and asked them to pray for healing and for the pain. My beautiful teammates surrounded me with prayer and joy filled my heart. After they were done, Sarah who is in my bar group also prayed for me. God had been revealing to her that she has a gift of healing and that He wanted to use it through her. She placed hands on my back and prayed. Her hands were hot and I closed my eyes feeling the Spirit move, literallymove through my entire body. I knew that something BIG was happening, my heart told me that much. When she finished praying both of us were jittery and our leader asked me how I felt. I felt fine, definitely not as much pain as before. Then it hit me. I THINK GOD HEALED MY SPINE. Whoa! Sarah and I headed with our bodies trembling to do bar ministry. I believed with everything that I am God was healing me. It is hard to explain how I felt, but it was like NOTHING I have ever experienced. We prayed for a while because it was hard to walk around, knees trembling, but eventually God gave us strength to do some amazing ministry that night.
 
We got back to the house and I ran to find Yolando. She is the only one who can really tell besides me what it looks like. I felt a difference in myself, and she said, “It is definitely straighter.” Let me say that again, STRAIGHTER. The lower part was especially good. Before it was curved around 24 degrees and now I could feel my spine in the center of my back!!!! I danced for my savior for a few hours praising Him for rocking my entire world!! I felt free, and I knew God had more coming.

The next day, I was in pain again and talking to Yolando and Sarah about it. By the end of the day the pain got a lot worse and I asked Sarah to pray over it again. We were in there for hours and once again I felt the Spirit move. When she was done my shoulder still really hurt, but God has been telling me that this is a process. I accepted it knowing that God can do ANYTHING. She told me that she doesn’t feel like she is supposed to pray over my back anymore, because God wants it to be by faith. It is only through Him that this is possible. So many of my sisters came and prayed for me that night, what a blessing that was. The process has involved a lot of tears. Not only is God working in healing me physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well.
 
That night, I went to bed in pain and prayed that God would send His angels to heal me. God awoke me in my sleep and I sat up for a while confused at what had just happened. He then told me to "get up and walk." It just so happens that I got up and the part that has the most severe curve near my shoulders was in NO PAIN. My heart was beating with excitement as I felt that my spine was nearly as straight as it should be. To put it in perspective, before my spine was an “S” and the upper part of my back was curved at 32 degrees. Normally my spine would be near my right shoulder. NOT ANYMORE! I walked outside my room again hoping people would be up so I could tell them. There was a fair amount of people awake for it being 3 a.m. Janie told me that God told her to go outside, and I also saw Amy. With tears in my eyes I proclaimed what had just happened to everyone who was awake. I couldn’t sleep; all I wanted to do was praise God for all that He had done, even though He didn’t have to. God loves each of us enough to do miraculous things in our lives if we let Him!

The next night, Friday was our last night 
of ministry and my back was really hurting. After all that God had done the night before, I was discouraged.  I was about 
to have a breakdown. Earlier in the week, Sarah gave me a word from God. He 
told her, "I have already more than healed her back, why would I not heal her from all other things?" I was confused by that because my back still hurt, I thought that it was getting worse again. I talked to some girls on my team and Yolando, who gave me immense wisdom and encouragement.
 
 God kept reminding me of verses, especially 1 Corinthians 14:33, “God is not a God of disorder, but a God of peace.” The confusion that I was feeling needed to be worked out, so when we got home I took it to the Lord. I went out to the porch and cried out to God, tears streaming down my face. I asked Him to give me discernment. I told 
Him that I would stand on His truth and the promises that He told me. I told him I was confused and angry and that I know it is in His timing but didn't 
understand why it was getting worse, on and on. Everything I was feeling I let God know, making sure He knew that I would hold Him to the promise He expressed to me.
 
My teammates have been amazing and praying for me all the time 
and incredibly supportive, because this week has been a lot of processing. Yolando offered to work out my tight muscles again. Right before I had just expressed to some teammates my confusion and pain. I told them, “If God keeps healing it then making it worse, I don’t know if I can handle it.” They reminded me that God does not give us anything we can’t handle and I was reminded of what God told me earlier in the week. God told me that the reason He is letting this happen now is because He knows I can handle it. I was encouraged and kept praying for peace. Then, Yolando began to work on my back.  Once she got a good look at it, she said, "It’s not getting worse, it is almost straight.” My tears stopped immediately and a huge smile came across my face. She showed me by putting her finger on where my spine is. Everyone sitting around me smiled. She used to be able to draw an “S” on my back!!!! God gave me peace that was my answer. It didn't get worse at 
all, but it is a process like God was trying to tell me all along. “Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice” Psalm 54:17. I believe that God is my HEALER, that his mercies are new each day and that He loves me with an EVERLASTING love. When I go home I will be doing physical therapy. What an even greater way for God to use me for ministry!
 
As today is our last day in Thailand, more in awe of God than ever, I know that He has changed each member of my team eternally. We will NEVER be the same. We are daughters of the most -high KING. He hears our cries. He delights in us. When I go home and proclaim the miracles God has showed me, I will not forget that it is “By His wounds we are healed” Isaiah 53:5. God didn’t have to perform a miracle in me. The point is that He did and He deserves all the glory. Just because He chose to do this here in Thailand does not mean that He can't do this anywhere. Let us rise up to His calling and boast in His goodness! Praise Him both now and forever more!!
 
As Jesus was sending out His disciples, He told them, “As you go, preach this message: The Kingdom of heaven is near! Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give” Matthew 10:7-8.
 
Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who helped me get to Thailand!  I am in love with it! Please pray for safe travels, processing and re-entry.
God is love,
Chelsea