Testimony 2: Supernatural God-Given Healing In My Lungs (1983)The first time God impacted my life (where I was aware that it was Him) was after my wife, Trish, was “born again” (John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:23). I didn’t know that that was what had happened to her, but she had certainly become excited about her faith. She said she felt that Jesus was “real today”, that He speaks to us, that we can know Him personally, that He is still doing what He did in the Bible. A few months later she attended a charismatic Christian conference in our city. She told me that the conference would close with a healing mass at the Catholic Cathedral; the Archbishop would be there, with exciting visiting bishops, priests and other Christian leaders who were part of this new charismatic life in the church.
I needed to pass a tough medical exam for a job I really wanted. Years of heavy smoking had given me an awesome smokers cough. An earlier chest x-ray had shown a shadow in my lungs and I was warned that this could easily become lung cancer. Trish invited me to the healing mass to ask for healing for my lungs and for the ability for me to stop smoking; the kind of things Jesus did in the Bible. She assured me He still does these things today. Trish asked that I would give a definite undertaking to go; not a half-promise that I could winkle out of on the day.
Well, what a business! We got there just in time for it to start. I had never seen such a crowd at the Cathedral, it was packed and we were with the overflow in the gardens. Loudspeakers were set up outside but were too few to reach all the crowd. This clearly was not going to work so I suggested that we go home. I felt that I wasn't actually at the mass, and wasn't near the Archbishop, or at least one of the famous people, and it was obvious that nothing would happen. Trish looked at me, in that stern and disappointed way that wives have, and said "you promised". So we stayed. The mass took it's course, not that we were able to participate much, and then it was time for the prayers, my prayers, the special "Jesus" prayers for my body. I expected that everyone who was there for prayer would gather and the Archbishop would do whatever he was going to do.
But practically everyone wanted prayer and there was no way that so many would be able to get in there to get a touch from the bishops and the Christian leaders. Then there was an announcement that prayer teams had stationed themselves around inside and outside the Cathedral. We were to find the team nearest to where we were and they would do the praying. I just looked at Trish, she looked back at me: “You promised”.
A sweet young couple were the prayer team near to us. Sweet is good, but I felt that these two had little life experience, they were hardly more than kids. What would they know? They introduced themselves and asked us to line up so they could pray for us in turn. We formed a big line. Trish and I were not near the front. The young couple looked at us all and conferred with each other. They decided that we were too many to pray for one-at-a-time so they wanted us to form a circle and hold hands, then they would pray for us all together.
My disappointment was like a heavy weight. You have to remember that this was all Trish: she was excited about Jesus and this Christian life she had found, I just found it scary. We didn't even get into the Cathedral so had effectively missed the mass. Trish was the Catholic one, I was kind-of Anglican. The Archbishop was not going to pray for me, we hadn't even seen him, or any of the bishops, or the famous visiting leaders. We just had the young couple; and they were not even going to present my case to Jesus as being special. I had absolutely no faith that anything could or would happen. None. So I told Trish. You know what she said. “You promised”. We stayed, we didn't think it would take much longer, so why not?
The young couple started to pray, in a general way, that each of us would be healed. I do not remember what they said. Then it was over. As we were walking back to our car, Trish, clearly apprehensive, asked me what did I think? Why was I so quiet? Had something happened?
A sweet young couple were the prayer team near to us. Sweet is good, but I felt that these two had little life experience, they were hardly more than kids. What would they know? They introduced themselves and asked us to line up so they could pray for us in turn. We formed a big line. Trish and I were not near the front. The young couple looked at us all and conferred with each other. They decided that we were too many to pray for one-at-a-time so they wanted us to form a circle and hold hands, then they would pray for us all together.
My disappointment was like a heavy weight. You have to remember that this was all Trish: she was excited about Jesus and this Christian life she had found, I just found it scary. We didn't even get into the Cathedral so had effectively missed the mass. Trish was the Catholic one, I was kind-of Anglican. The Archbishop was not going to pray for me, we hadn't even seen him, or any of the bishops, or the famous visiting leaders. We just had the young couple; and they were not even going to present my case to Jesus as being special. I had absolutely no faith that anything could or would happen. None. So I told Trish. You know what she said. “You promised”. We stayed, we didn't think it would take much longer, so why not?
The young couple started to pray, in a general way, that each of us would be healed. I do not remember what they said. Then it was over. As we were walking back to our car, Trish, clearly apprehensive, asked me what did I think? Why was I so quiet? Had something happened?
I was in a kind of shock but eventually was able to tell her: “God put his hand inside my chest, into my lungs, I could feel His fingers as they gathered together all the black tar and gunk that was there, then he removed His hand and all the gunk went with it. Now my lungs are clear and clean”. I was stunned and awe-struck. I can still remember this happening. It was a miracle! It is still vivid in my mind. I passed my medical exam and got the job, my lungs showed up clear in the x-ray pictures.
It was years later that Jesus healed me from smoking as I was not able to do that in my own strength. I do have some lung damage from all those years of thirty-a-day, but I know that I will not die from lung cancer. God healed me. Trish's lovely Jesus healed me.
Praise Him, our Saviour!
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Blessings in Jesus.
