MYSTERY SOLVED

                                             MYSTERY SOLVED

     During my husband Steve's journey through chemotherapy many, many people have prayed simple prayers of faith. Others have prayed intercessory prayers. Intercessory prayers are the full battle prayers in which we are often called to participate. Each prayer has its own function and its own powerful effect in the final results. We are forever grateful for every prayer, the numerous but different kinds that were prayed by friends and relatives. Our own full armor prayers were constantly prayed every day also.
     Gifts of faith are given to people in many ways, through revelations, through hearing the personal words of God, through confessing the written words of the Bible, through prophesies and through other ways.
     At the December trip to MD Anderson the chest x-ray and CT scan showed that Steve had a blood clot in his lung caused by the abundance of tumors he had previously which were removed during two surgeries. That discovery announcement came after we received the good news that the numerous small tumors were gone. We rejoiced in the news that the tumors were no longer any problem, but we were concerned about the pulmonary embolism, knowing that it could detach and enter his blood stream, go to his heart and the result would be instant death. That introduced more concern to me than the cancer had.
     We knew that God is bigger than cancer and He is bigger than a blood clot. We both knew that God could take care of the clot just like He took care of the tumors.
     Steve was speaking faith words and I was speaking faith words. His words seemed to have more conviction than I was feeling. I was really impressed because every time anything was mentioned about the blood clot, he emphatically said, "It's gone," with no doubt, no unbelief, only firm faith. When he began those positive confessions of faith, I didn't have the absolute assurance that he possessed that the clot was already gone. I knew it eventually would be gone, but as far as having the knowledge that it was already gone from his body was not firm in my mind. I was possibly looking for the daily blood thinner shots to eventually cure him somewhere down the road in the next year. He was having to inject the shots subcutaneously into the fatty tissue in his abdomen area. The doctors had prescribed them for six months and originally said that he might have to be on them the rest of his life to make sure the clot did not dislodge and cause catastrophic results.
      Steve continued with his firm confessions of faith that the blood clot was gone. I wondered why he was so convinced, but I relied on his faith since it was his body that the blood clot was afflicting.
     At the January trip to MD Anderson the doctor reported that the barrage of tests that Steve had the previous day showed that there was still no evidence of tumors and that the blood clot was completely resolved. We had even more reason to praise God, being thankful for healing his body of the tumors and also healing his body of the blood clot. We weren't the only ones who rejoiced. The oncologist and his complete staff also rejoiced. They were impressed and called Steve a champ. Of course, our relatives and friends joined us in rejoicing that God had taken care of everything.
     One time during the week after receiving the double portion of good news, I asked Steve why he was so convinced that the blood clot was gone even weeks before x-rays showed it was resolved. His reply explained it.
      Steve said that he was infused with faith the last time I had my Bible study group at our house, which was the last week in December. I was saying goodbye as the ladies were leaving the house but one of the ladies held back from the others, put her hand on Steve's lung area and emphatically said, "BE GONE."
     Steve explained to me that that gesture by Jane was good enough reason for him to know that her command was obeyed and that the blood clot left his body. He had not related the incident to me, neither had Jane, so I didn't know about the obedience of Jane to lay hands on Steve and command the clot to leave.
     Weeks later I told Jane that Steve's faith had risen to new heights when she spoke the simple command to, "Be gone," and that he knew at that moment that the next tests would show that the clot was gone.
     Jane explained the occasion of her actions on that special day, telling me that God told her previous to the meeting what she should do. God always provides the opportunity for us to do His bidding. When all the other ladies were leaving and I was engaged in saying my goodbyes to them, Jane completed the duty God gave to her and laid her hand on Steve's chest and spoke what God told her to speak.
     The mystery was solved. Now I know the reason for Steve's great amount of faith. It was Jane's obedience to God. There was no doubt in his mind that the clot was gone, and it was. The doctors were surprised and I was surprised. Steve was elated but not surprised. He had known it for three weeks.
     "Faith is the substance of things hoped for and being convinced of things not seen," says one translation of Hebrews 11:1." Before it was seen on x-ray and CT scan, Steve was solidly convinced that the clot was gone by Jane's act of obedience and simple words of, "Be gone."
     The mystery was solved why Steve had unmovable faith that he was healed of the blood clot. When Jane said, "Be gone," it was gone. It was another miracle. What the cancer and the blood clot tried to destroy, God healed.
     Praises to God never stop around our house.