I am sitting in a good friend’s garden, having been invited to join a barbecue that she and her husband are hosting for a small group of friends from their church.
It’s a beautiful sunny summer’s day; the food is free-flowing, and so is the conversation.
When I am joined by an older lady, in her mid-sixties, who sits in the seat next to mine, we quickly start chatting – and it doesn’t take long for a lovely little ‘light through the cracks’ story to come tumbling out …
***
Georgina* was in her late twenties and pregnant with her second child when, seemingly out of the blue, she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes.
Everyone reassured her that it wasn’t that unusual; that her blood sugar levels would return to normal after the birth; that she just had to get through the rest of her pregnancy.
Unfortunately, all of them were wrong.
Much to everyone’s shock, her own included, she was told that the gestational diabetes had morphed into type 1 diabetes. It was highly unusual, it couldn’t be cured, and she would simply have to manage the symptoms.
“Suddenly I found myself learning how to monitor my blood sugar, and inject insulin, several times a day,” she tells me, “while simultaneously trying to breastfeed my baby, and chasing after my toddler.”
She and her husband adopted as healthy a lifestyle as possible and, over time, they simply learnt to adapt and watch for the warnings …
***
Then one morning, several years later, when both the children were at primary school, Georgina was spending some time with the Lord.
“I was reading my Bible, sitting in the armchair that I always sit in. Nothing was out of the ordinary. But then I became aware of a still small voice, speaking to me inwardly,” she explains. “It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.”
A bit like Samuel (who I’ve written about previously here), it took Georgina a while before she realised that the inner voice that she could hear was actually the voice of God, trying to get her attention.
“He simply told me that I was healed, and that I didn’t need to take my insulin anymore,” she says, “but I really wrestled with what he was saying.”
Georgina goes on to explain how she felt God was giving her a choice.
She knew she wanted to be well. But could she trust his word? Could she obey what he was asking? Could she believe that Jesus had healed her? Could she stop injecting insulin and not be fearful about it?
“Medically, it was hugely risky,” she tells me, “but the more I prayed about it, the more the fear evaporated, and peace came in its place.”
It takes her two full days before she follows through. She’s got her husband praying, and also her two closest Christian friends. All of them are in agreement with God’s word on the matter.
“The last time I injected with insulin, I knew I was taking a leap of faith, but I also knew I’d heard correctly,” she says. “God had told me he’d healed me, and that was what mattered.”
Her faith is infectious, and I can feel mine rising, even as she describes what happened next.
“The best bit was convincing the doctors that I’d been healed,” she reveals gleefully. “It was only when they conducted comprehensive tests that they realised I was telling the truth.”
“Did you tell them that it was Jesus who had healed you?” I ask.
“Of course,” she says, “but they were completely baffled!”
Now, over thirty years on, she simply loves telling everyone about how Jesus spoke to her, how he healed her, and how he wants to heal them too!
***
As you consider this story, let me leave you with these two strands of thought:
Firstly, have you ever heard God’s still small voice speaking to you? If so, how did you know it was him, what did he say, and how did you respond?
Alternatively, if you’ve never heard God’s still small voice, why don’t you pause for a moment now and ask him to speak? (He speaks in lots of different ways, not just through a still small inner voice – but always in line with the Bible – so just be still and get ready to listen!)
Secondly, have you, like Georgina, ever been given an unexpected medical diagnosis that you’d rather not have received? If so, what is God’s word over it, and are you trusting what he says more than what the doctors are saying? If not, why not?
As always, constructive comments are welcome below.
*Story shared with permission, but name changed to protect identity.
Photo from isens-usa via Unsplash.
