One of the first times it really dawned on me just how important it was to listen and follow God's prompting was many years ago when a missionary friend of mine was very sick and close to dying. I didn't know it at the time that she was sick, but in the night God woke me up and prompted me to pray for her. I got up and spent the night in prayer and the next day found out how close she was to dying and that she was so weak and tired she couldn't pray anymore so she asked God to wake someone up to pray for her. God answered her prayer and why he chose to wake me up I don't know but just think if I had ignored his prompting and just went back to sleep what could have happened. She recovered and is still in the mission field today. I don't tell you this to pat myself on the back, but to share with you the importance of following the prompting of the Spirit.
More recently the prompting was for me about me. In June 2009 I had a heart attack at church where I quit breathing, so they tell me because I was out and have no memory of what went on, and I was taken to the hospital by ambulance. They did the tests and I was told that my heart had damage, but they thought this was part of my autoimmune diseases attacking my heart and killing it. I already knew that it was only because of God that I was still alive, but this time it was different, I also knew I was dying. I continued to get weaker and worse. The chest pains were more frequent and it was harder and harder to breath, but I knew that God had a plan and I was at peace with what ever God had in store for me. Jesus is my everything and I knew everything was okay. Take everything away including my life and I am still ok because of Jesus. I never once questioned why this was happening but just asked God to continue to use me and if I could just touch one person that was worth all I was going through. All through this time I was at peace and full of joy. God was holding me and there is no greater place to be than in God's arms.
In July God started prompting me to get my funeral arrangements taken care of. I have learned that if God prompts then you need to follow that prompting and so I wrote down what I wanted for my funeral and I figured that was the end of it, I had done what God asked. It didn't end there though. I was then prompted and given the words to write a poem to be read at my funeral, so I wrote the poem, and then I again was prompted to give all of this to my Pastor Brad Mann. Now taking all this to Brad and then talking to Jimmy Nickelsen asking him if he would sing the songs I wanted at the funeral seemed like the final step and God was telling me to do it so I did. I knew my time was getting short but I had so much peace and joy because I knew God was in control and his plan for me was a perfect one. I obeyed and followed the prompting and prayed thanking God for trusting me enough to use me this way. I prayed to touch someones life through my illness and God answered that prayer for me more than once.
Aug 26, 2009, at the end of the Group Leaders training at church, I had another heart attack and was dying right there in the door of the church. All I remember at first is the pain and then I had such peace and I just in my thoughts started Praising and Thanking God. Mike later told me his prayer was she is in your hands Lord. Pastor Dan Chaverin was praying and I remember coming around and then the ambulance came and I once again was off to the hospital. The doctor said they were going to do a cardiac cath on me and I really didn't want to do that but I was prompted to say okay because they needed the proof. For me to have the cath was dangerous because of my MG which made it more of a risk. They did the cath and the doctor kept saying to the nurse I can't find the damage that was there and finally I said to him I know why God took care of it. The only thing that is wrong with my heart now is the auto immune is attacking the nerves and so I have to take medicine to keep it in rhythm. God had healed my heart and the proof was in the cath results. The damage that was there before and had been seen was gone and I was taken off my nitro and have been pain free since.
I went home from the hospital and already was feeling stronger. As the time went on my lungs got better too. When I went to the doctor for a follow up from the hospital I found that I could for the first time in 12 years take a deep breath. Another healing and I praised God for that. I found because of the lungs being better that I could lay flat again which I hadn't done since I had gotten sick. I felt stronger everyday and feeling so much better.
Sept 28, 2009 Mike and I went to Shawnee Mission Park to go on one of our walk and rolls. Mike was at the back of the van getting my wheel chair out and once again the Holy Spirit prompted me and said one word which was walk and I walked down to the back of the van and said to Mike I'm going to walk and took off. I walked only about 100 yards that day but for someone in a wheelchair for all those years that was a big step. I walked by myself down the path and back up the hill to the street that the van was parked on. When I reached the top of the hill I raised my hands, like Sylvester Stallone did in Rocky, and shouted yes, yes, yes thank you Lord. I then walked back to the van. This is a picture of that first walk.
I had never in all those years of being sick and in the wheelchair asked God to heal me or let me walk again so I was surprised when I was prompted to walk. If I had not listened to that prompting though and then followed that one word WALK I would of missed out on a healing and blessing. It would have been easy for me to ignore that prompting or think that it couldn't be done because I can't walk I am in a wheelchair, but I followed the prompt and God blessed me for my obedience. My muscles in my legs were there at that moment I took my first step which is all God after 12 years of my neuromuscular disease and my wheelchair. The next walk a couple of days later was for 1/4 of a mile, then the next a mile and soon I was able to go hiking off the paved trail for over a mile.
Each day brings new firsts and I continue to Walk with God both spiritually and physically.
The last thought here is this, I am not perfect and have not always followed the Holy Spirits prompting. It is all part of growing in my walk with Christ. The one thing I do know in order to recognize the prompts you have to have a personal relationship with God so that you know and recognize his voice or prompting when it comes.
Last it is easy to ignore the prompts of the Holy Spirit out of fear, or not listening, or not following through but remember God is using you or has something important for you to do so don't ignore those prompts. It would have been easy when God prompted me to wake up and pray to just lay back down and go back to sleep, or to not get my arrangements together and give them to the Pastor because that was an uncomfortable thing to do and think about, or to deny I could do what I was being asked to do when I was told to walk, that would have been the easy thing to do. God never said our walk with him would be smooth sailing and easy all the time he just said we didn't have to go through it alone he is there guiding, leading and carrying us along the way. So remember to listen for and follow the prompts of the Holy Spirit.
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