JEHOVAH RAPHA, MY HEALER

WARNING: This post contains some gory details, so you may want to skip it if you are squeamish.

"He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed."
(Isaiah 53:5)

Several years ago, I had what I thought was a tiny whitehead on my face. I squeezed and squeezed, but was never able to get much to come out of it. Instead, it grew bigger, and I was mortified to discover that all that squeezing had created something large and ugly that disfigured one side of my face. A visit to the dermatologist revealed that it was a cyst and no cause for concern, but if the looks of it upset me, the only way to get rid of it would be surgery. Wimp that I am, I chose to live with ugly.

About a month ago I noticed that the cyst had gotten larger, and a couple of weeks after that, when I returned home from a day in the sun with my grandkids, I saw some red marks around the edges that looked like sunburn. But how could that be? I had applied sunscreen to my entire face. Not likely that those would have been the only spots to have gotten burned. Should I see the dermatologist? Everybody else seemed to think so as they bombarded me with comments such as, "What happened to your face? You need to get it looked at right away."

So I tried to make an appointment, but to no avail. Despite my plea that all I needed was two minutes of her time to take a quick look and let me know if it was something that could wait, or whether it needed immediate attention, the receptionist was adamant. The doctor was booked solid for the week. There was no way to squeeze me in, and the following week, she would be on vacation.

Not knowing what else to do, I decided to turn to the Lord. And if you're wondering why I didn't turn to Him first, there were two reasons. First, I was ashamed that the cyst had been the result of my own foolish actions, and second, it seemed too trivial a matter to bother Him with. But God's love is unconditional, and the days that followed were filled with evidence of His awesome mercy and grace.

• Tuesday, AM: Went to a prayer meeting where we gather weekly to pray for our town. If anybody has a personal need, we pray for them too. I hesitantly asked if it was okay to pray for something that was mostly a vanity issue, as opposed to a serious crisis or life threatening disease. They laughed and assured me that no request is too small or insignificant for God. Then they gathered around me, laid hands on me, and anointed me with oil as per the directive in James 5:13-15. The room rocked! It was an undescribable, Holy Spirit filled, moment. When the prayer ended, all fear was gone, and I felt full of anticipation. However, the cyst was still there. So I went home and made an appointment to see my nurse practitioner.


• Thursday, 7:30 AM: The nurse taking my vitals asked what I had come in for, and after hearing my saga, suggested a visit to her dermatologist. She showed me a spot on her face where he had removed a growth and there was no scarring at all. Furthermore, she assured me that both he and his staff were very caring and accomodating, and if I wanted her to, she would call and make the appointment for me. I said that sounded great. Then the NP came in and took a look. She could find no sign of infection. The red markings, which had now turned purple, she thought were probably caused by a ruptured blood vessel. In her opinion, there was no urgency to do anything about it right now. Normally, I would have jumped at the chance to put things off, but I surprised myself by going to see the surgeon.


• Thursday, 10:30 AM: My appointment was for 10:30 that same morning, and he pretty much confirmed all that the NP had said, but added that even though there was no urgency, given the size of the cyst, it would be best to remove it. I still can't believe I felt no fear. Me, who wimps even at the thought of a needle, was calmly asking questions and listening to descriptions of the procedure, the stitches, and how I would need to come back a week later to have them removed. That I made an appointment for the surgery even after hearing there would be stitches that would need to be removed, was a major, major miracle. All the way home I kept thanking the Lord for leading me here, for the assurance that one way or another the cyst would be removed and my face restored--whether it happened supernaturally, or through the hands of this physician--and most of all, for taking away my fear and replacing it with His peace that surpasses understanding.


• Saturday, PM: Was feeling tired, and lay down for a short nap. When I woke up, I felt something sticky on my face and went to take a look in the bathroom mirror. It looked like something was trying to come out of the cyst, so I gave it a good squeeze. Two blobs of gook fell out in rapid succession, followed by a stream of pure, clear blood which I staunched using leaves from my aloe plant. Then I looked in the mirror again, and the cyst was gone. Hallelujah!


• Saturday, PM - Tuesday, AM: For a couple of days the wound was sore to the touch. I kept applying fresh aloe leaves and securing them to the area with Band-Aids. By Tuesday, it had healed so nicely there was no longer any need to keep it covered.


• Tuesday, PM: Called the surgeon's office to cancel my appointment and reschedule a follow-up instead, just so the event could be documented, and all the credit would go to the One to whom all praise and glory and honor are due.