“Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8 NKJV)
“Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.” (Hebrews 11:19 NLT)
“I will not die, but live, and declare the works and recount the illustrious acts of the LORD.” (Psalm 118:17 AMP)
Day 21: Sunday (11/21) continued – Where were we? Oh yes, I was about to enter into Melody’s room to be with her for the first time in 21 long, long, long days. To understand the full impact of what is about to happen, we need to go back in time for a moment.
I have written before about Melody’s near death experience back in 2018. When I drove her to the hospital on that day she was semi-conscious and barely breathing. After a rushed examination she was placed on a ventilator and “worked on” for 3 days before she returned to consciousness. Prior to her reviving it was generally believed by the medical team that she would not regain consciousness, and therefore they offered little hope for her recovery. Recently, I was told by a faith filled Pastor, who I deeply respect, that when he entered the room he sensed that she was going to go home to be with the Lord. His ministry is focused on those nearing the end of their natural lives and he normally can tell when someone is transitioning to the next step in eternity. Selfishly, I am overjoyed that he was wrong. In the midst of that environment, in which the consensus was that I should prepare for Melody’s departure, the Holy Spirit flooded me with “Kingdom-Natural” peace, and I knew Melody was not going home to be with Jesus, but coming home to be me – which she did (I think she got short changed in the deal). Now to why we have stepped back in time.
While in the hospital room in 2018, Daddy spoke to my heart and told me that when Melody came home she would need to continue battling, but that it wouldn’t last for 7 years like it did when she was initially diagnosed. I shared that with Melody, and we both received it as a Word from the Lord, resting in it each time the battle appeared overwhelming. We were confident that we were on the edge of her complete restoration to health. From that foundation the Lord led us to make some commitments to each other to be carried out if part of the battle leading up to her healing ever involved facing death itself. In obedience to the commission given by Jesus to all who claim to be his disciples, we agreed to never concede to sickness and continue to lay hands on whichever of us was battling illness in full expectation of the manifestation of healing. We also agreed that if one of us died, without telling the other that we had finished our course and were ready to leave, that we would lay hands on the lifeless body before us and raise it from the dead (Jesus did it and instructed his disciples to do the same). Lastly, we agreed that we would not allow pride, or fear, to enter in, and would humbly seek out someone to carry out this commitment on our behalf if when faced with the challenge either of us felt that we were not in a place to do it in faith (we both knew that we were not the one’s doing this in our own power. We were not willing to stand in the way of Daddy doing what He loves to do – heal sickness and defeat death – if the time came to make good on our promise and were not ready or able at that moment to carry it out.). Now back to the hospital room in 2021.
When once again the atmosphere was one of death, and the general consensus was that it was over, I entered Melody’s Hospital room full of faith and expectation that when I layed hands on her she was going to miraculously baffle the medical team as they watched her turn the course of her life and get out of bed healed. Armed with my interpretation of what Daddy told me in her hospital room in 2018, with the Word within me that I had received by revelation through the Scriptures, and the childlike excitement and appreciation that my Daddy counted me worthy to partner with Him on Melody’s behalf, I walked toward Melody’s bed, where she laid plugged into that machine with the look of death on her face, ready to take action. As I approached her bedside I heard inside of me a very clear, “No.” This literally stopped me in my tracks. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Without any explanation Daddy stopped me from fulfilling my commitment to my wife. This made no sense. What about your Word to me in 2018? What about the clear revelations of Scripture? What about my childlike faith? As much as I was at a loss in my mind, and crushed in my emotions, I had learned to “trust and obey,” so I changed course and simply stepped up to the bed and told Melody that I loved her. Then I got out my cell phone, called up my daughters, and let them say a few words to their unconscious Mother. After hanging up the phone I exited the room and gave the medical team the green light to remove the ventilator.
I need a break. Let’s continue this tomorrow…