Health concerns are at the forefront of the news. I am remembering all the times in my life when my health was an overriding issue and how God provided healing, but especially when He gave my physicians wisdom for and about me.
When I was a child, my tonsils not only lost the war, they went over to the other side. One year, tonsillitis cost me upwards of two weeks of school. It was a particularly bad year for our family; indeed, all four of my siblings also had recurrent bouts of tonsillitis. Even penicillin was not enough to keep us all healthy. That next Christmas vacation, our physician recommended tonsillectomies; we were all much healthier as a result. Improved medication generally precludes this now, but it helped me then.
In my late thirties, I suffered from polycystic ovarian syndrome. I now recognize it as part of the autoimmune disorder that has yet to be fully resolved. But the dangers of PCOS included ovarian cancer. Indeed, when my gynecological surgeon removed my ovaries, he told me they were so frightening, he sent them whole to Pathology for analysis. No cancer was found but his timely recommendation of their removal may well have saved my life.
More recently, my last bout of influenza more than two years ago resulted in exposure of a chronic illness. The use of sweetened electrolyte fluids and juices to stay hydrated when I could not eat sparked the liver/gallbladder/pancreatic inflammation associated with type 2 diabetes. When my primary care physician saw my face as I asked for a return-to-work release, he realized something was very wrong and ordered additional testing. The lab results sent me to the ER for an extremely elevated A1c. His care has brought me to control of type 2 diabetes with diet and exercise only – no more medications.
In all these situations as well as others, prayer and seeking God’s face and wisdom has guided my decisions. He has been faithful to make clear how healing should be pursued. Indeed, in these times of reports of severe illness that threatens our ability to be clear-headed, I find the words of Peter helpful:
1 Peter 4:7b …keep sound minded and self-restrained and alert therefore for [the practice of] prayer. Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation.
I believe the promises of Psalm 91 to keep us from harm when we make God our refuge and place of safety. I also know that I need to keep my thoughts captive to Christ, trusting that the wisdom of God will lead me into that haven.
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