"Oh, his foot is just asleep, he'll be fine after his bath," I thought. But one hour went by of bath time fun and he still couldn't walk. I got a real afraid then, the worst case scenarios started to come to mind. A stroke of some sort, a seizure... I didn't know. So, I called Daniel to come home and look at him. By the time Daniel got home, I was a crying mess and afraid. Judah is a runner and a ball lover, what if he couldn't walk ever again? On top of all that, he was still totally happy, in no pain, and thought he could walk just fine, until he tried. That makes it even harder, when someone who has something wrong is joyful.
Well, I prayed all morning just in my mind about it, especially waiting for Daniel to get home. I just talked with God asking him for wisdom and healing. After he got home Daniel and I prayed over him, asking again that God would touch his little body.
After praying, Daniel stretched out his legs, rubbed on his muscles, etc. He thought for sure it was something in the back. A pinched nerve or something from sleeping on a toy in his bed. Or maybe he had fallen the day before during one of his crazy man stunts =) Judah is famous for those... So, we called our chiropractor. He had done some work on Judah a couple years back when he had fallen out of his crib, (another crazy man stunt.) Well, the chiropractor was closed Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So, we thought... let's call the doctor. We called the Dr. "Sure, we'll get you in at 10am." they said.
Good, we'll find out what's wrong.
I went into the school room to sit with him and Daniel. Everything in me wanted to pray for him again, lay my hands on him and just cry out to God, tears and all. But I couldn't. It was an overwhelming feeling. One I had not had for a long time. About that same time Daniel said out of no where, "Man I am just afraid to pray over him" He continued, "I feel like I should but then I start thinking, what if God doesn't answer..." I told him I was having the same feeling.
It was about 8:45 by then and Daniel headed back to work, I was going to pick him up on my way to the Dr. at 10:oo.
Kids all dressed, everyone all packed up I ran back into the house to grab something and I hear a "ding" on my computer-- an email notification.
It was a prayer request from our church, I suppose Daniel had the secretary send it out, I still have never asked. It read:
Please pray for Judah Gibson. He woke up this morning and couldn't walk. His let muscles are all tensed up but he says it doesn't hurt. They have a doctors appointment at 10am to see if they can figure out what's wrong. Pray for the Lord to heal his little body, of whatever is causing this.
After reading that I paused.
"They have a Dr. apt this morning to see if they can figure out what is wrong. Pray for the Lord to heal his body of whatever is causing this."
I thought that over and over again, even re-reading the words a few times.
Isn't that the way it is? They have a Dr. apt this morning to see if they can figure out what is wrong with him. I thought, why are we praying for healing if the Dr. can just figure it out? And then I thought, why should I take him to the doctor, explain all of his symptoms so he can give an educated guess. When God knows the exact reason he isn't walking. I thought and I thought and I thought on that.
Ofter hopping back into the van and driving I thought of David and how he went to the temple to worship after the death of his first son.
2 Samuel 12:15-23
Then the LORD struck the child that Uriah's widow bore to David, so that he was very sick. David therefore inquired of God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground. The elders of his household stood beside him in order to raise him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them. Then it happened on the seventh day that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was still alive, we spoke to him and he did not listen to our voice. How then can we tell him that the child is dead, since he might do himself harm!” But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; so David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” And they said, “He is dead.” So David arose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he came to his own house, and when he requested, they set food before him and he ate. Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to me, that the child may live.' “But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”
David worshiped. I thought to myself, why do we worship God in the good times but worry in the scary times when we serve the Creator of the World?
Only a minute from picking up Daniel and 15 minutes from our Dr. apt I called and canceled the appointment. Feeling like praise to God is what my spirit was calling me to, not the Dr.'s house. So, we stopped at the church, told Daniel and then we went to the Nature Center to walk and praise God for Judah's healing, the kids and I.
It was a different time. I wrapped Emmyn in my Moby and put my big boy in the stroller. When the roots were too big and he would be afraid to go over the big rocks with the stroller, I carried him. When he couldn't stand to throw the rocks into the river, I sat with him. I just sat and worshiped God. The girls never left our side. Usually, they are running down the one big long stretch on the 2 1/2 mile path. Not this time. This time, they walked and talked with their brother. Talking about everything from the squirrels digging for their winters nuts to big scary "tree legs" that made the stroller so bumpy, we stood by him. Every now and then he would say "let me out mom, I can't walk but I can run..." and he would try but fall. I would think, "God, where are you?" "I am here... aren't you going to pull through? What about my kids? They need to see you here..."
Isn't that how we are? We'll wait days for a Dr.'s results but only hours for God's.
We finished and returned home (after an ice cream cone stop =o) When we got out of the van Judah said he wanted to ride his bike. I put him on it, and he rode it. He then started to walk a little bit, even try to run. About that time, Daniel came home to check on him. We had lunch outside and he was walking even better! He just kept getting better and kept getting better. Just all of a sudden. Now don't get me wrong, he would tire out and need to sit and even still crawl but he was mending.
I couldn't believe my eyes.
By the next day he was a normal little boy and by the day after that, he was totally normal. And today he is doing crazy Judah stunts. =)
We have nothing against the Dr. chances are, he slept on a toy wrong and just had a pinched nerve or sore muscle, and had too much to drink before bed. (There I go again, underestimating what God can and will do today) Regardless to what WAS wrong, it's not now.
I am always so blown away by how God gets us prepared for things. Through the strangest scenarios. It's not about a sick little boy and a Dr.'s visit. It's about hearing the shepherds voice and allowing yourself to be challenged. No matter how untimely it seems. Obedience during the sickness of a child? Surely not God.
John 10:27
"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."
God is so good. Only He is good.
We're so happy he healed our little Judah.
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