July 21, 2006
Lessons from a Broken Leg
As I mentioned in my previous Parson's Wife ramblings, I fell nearly 4
weeks ago and broke my leg – same leg that I’ve broken twice previously,
but at least this time no surgery or hospital stay were required!! A
great big Praise the Lord shouted from this house, I assure you. This
time there are three tiny breaks, one at the top of the tibia (the
little bone) and one each at the bottom of the tibia and fibula (big bone).
And though small, because of the softness of my bones and other MS
issues in that leg, the doctor has me outfitted in a very “Star Trek the
Next Generation” looking brace made of fiberglass, stainless rods,
hinges. clips and Velcro straps. All in all, it makes for a very impressive
presentation!
Besides the blessings of no surgery or hospital stay, there has also
been nearly no pain and even the MS muscle spasms that are a regular part
of my life have been minimal, particularly the last 2 weeks. These
spasms don’t hurt unless your leg is broken …! Anyway, another big PTL in
the midst of it all.
However, the real God moment in this experience happened sometime
during the second week, when my body was still trying to adapt; I was
exhausted all the time and slept lots; was uncomfortable and generally was
spending most of my time in bed resting, reading and lots of sleeping.
Anyway, I was getting ready to go to sleep one night and having finished
a study in Psalms I had been doing, I just asked Den to tell me where
to read next – I was too tired to come up with a plan of my own, but I
needed to hear from God – right then! Anyway, Den’s immediate response
was – you guessed it – “read Ephesians.” Then after a second, he said,
“No, try Philippians.” And as soon as he said it, I knew that was
right.
So I opened my Bible to one of my favorite of Paul’s letters and began
to read. When I got to verse 19 of the first chapter, the neon lights
of God’s highlighter lit up the verse. In the New Living Bible, verse
19 reads: “For I know that as you pray for me and as the Spirit of
Jesus Christ helps me, this will all turn out for my deliverance.”
Though that was certainly a verse I’ve read hundreds – perhaps even
thousands of times through the years – I had never seen the promise
contained there, before that night. Was it really possible that the prayers
of my loved ones who were faithfully praying for me, coupled with the
help of the Holy Spirit in me could work together for my deliverance –
from a brace – from MS spasms – from a broken leg – even from MS
totally? I was so overwhelmed with the potential of God’s deliverance here
that I was almost overcome with His presence in my midst and the
assurance that once again, when I needed Him most He had not failed me!!!
Now that I’m two weeks away from that evening’s experience, where do
things stand? Well, last Thursday the doctor was encouraged enough with
my progress to remove the lock from the brace so that I now have full
range of motion with my leg, making getting around much easier, not to
mention being so much more comfortable. Second, the nearly nightly leg
spasms that have been a part of my life for the last 15 years have
nearly stopped. I’ve gone almost two weeks with no spasms or of such
slightness that a single dose of the muscle relaxant works, without adding
multiple doses plus pain killers and other relaxants to stop the spasm
that had been necessary the first two weeks after the fall. Never in 15
years have I gone more than 2 or perhaps 3 days without spasms – and
now I’m looking into my third week! From my vantage point, that is a
miracle of no small proportion!!!! And finally, though I was praying that
the doctor would allow me to start bearing weight on my leg after last
week’s visit, probably releasing my knee from the confines of the brace
has brought more relief than even weight bearing would have
accomplished. Maybe Dr. God is directing Dr. Hadesman in the right way to doctor
me? I believe that is a BIG yes!
So again, when I needed to hear something to ease my mind and encourage
my spirit, God provided a promise that is delivering me – just as He
said. So my plea is, if you are already praying for me, thank you for
your part in seeing this promise realized in my life; and if you aren’t
praying for me and want to the join the Glory Train of Victory that is
rolling, hop aboard and start praying!
But the bigger lesson here is, that our prayers for each other are an
invaluable part of the deliverance that each of us is in need of.
Perhaps yours isn’t braces and broken bones or other health issues, but it
may be spiritual bondage to a besetting sin, deliverance from guilt and
hurts from the past, financial burdens too great to bear, family trials
that seem unending, or a list of other bondages too numerous to mention
here. But regardless of the issue, you are keenly aware of how
desperately you need deliverance. Well, Dear Ones, here is the formula for
that deliverance – a committed group of people praying for you and the
Holy Spirit helping you in your life. Your part in this process is
sharing your burden to that select group of Prayer Warriors to commit to
praying for you, and then cooperating with what the Holy Spirit is doing
in your life so that He can join with the prayers of other to work out
your deliverance. Do you believe this could work for you? Trust me on
this one, if it can work for me, God is just as faithful to honor His
promises for you! Take heart, begin to pray for one another, be aware
and cooperate with what the Holy Spirit is helping to accomplish in your
life, and watch the shackles of your bondage fall away!!
I’m anxious to hear your testimonies as you’ve heard mine!
Until next time … love and prayers,
RuthAnn Gleason, the Parson's Wife
ragleason123@yahoo.com
