James, the brother of Jesus, wrote to Christians who were being tested in their faith by threats of persecution. His advice still applies to all whose faith is tested by suffering today. What should you do when suffering hardships? “You should pray,” says James 5:13-14. “Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you….”
Two incredibly strong LECC ladies testified Sunday to the truth of this advice as they shared their suffering stories with our loving, supportive congregation. They both would endure devastating hardships in which the Elders and Pastor of the Church would lay hands on them and pray for healing.
Lisa, whose two sisters had breast cancer, approached middle age determined to stay healthy. She had annual mammograms and worked with a personal trainer to be stronger. She turned 50 in March 2021, and in July of that year when her new Corgi dog put its paw on her left breast, she felt a lump. Biopsies revealed it was an aggressive cancer.
“I was devastated,” she said, but her husband Matt was too. He put the word out to everyone he knew, asking for prayers. Her Father-in-Law, Ed, an LECC Elder, also asked for prayers from the congregation.
Lisa, in her personal prayer time, became distraught while driving for an upcoming doctor’s appointment. She felt compelled to talk to the devil. “You can’t have my body,” she said. “I am a child of God, and my body belongs to God. You can’t harm it!” Recalling this moment, Lisa said, “A peace washed over me, and I knew I would be okay.” After six rounds of chemo and hundreds of prayers, later, she absolutely was.
Julie, on the other hand, was an innocent bystander at the Bank of Eufaula on January 21, 2016, when a robber shot three bank employees and took her as a hostage. In the face of evil, she pleaded, “Please don’t shoot me,” and he responded, “I’m not going to shoot you.” But Julie protested, “You just shot multiple people, so why should I believe you won’t shoot me?” The kidnapper became angry and leaned across the console of the car with his gun in her side. “I told you,” he said. “I won’t shoot you because I know you are a child of God.” He was true to his word, but 10 of the 40 bullets police fired at the robber struck Julie. She underwent 13 surgeries and 24 separate procedures. But she miraculously survived, helped by prayers throughout the community of Eufaula and especially by those initiated by her brother-in-law Stacey, an LECC elder.
Both Lisa and Julie look back on their devastating days of hardship and see God walking with them every step of the way. They both talked about how they see life from a different perspective now. They find beauty in the little blessings of this life and live with a posture of worship and gratitude to God for how He never left them in the midst of their suffering. In fact, He took them from Hardship to Healed.
Meet the four people in this story next Sunday at 415897 Highway 9, Eufaula, where we have small group Bible study at 10 a.m. worship at 11 a.m., and 6:30 p.m. Wednesday night classes for all ages. At LECC we fuel our Christian life by prayer as we worship our Holy God, who listens and responds! Astounding!
Please know: the God of the universe loves you and cares about YOU! He sustains your life. Amazingly, the heart of God is open to every aspect of your life through prayer. Even when you’re hurting, God is still working. If you’re suffering today, know that there is a family of believers who would love to pray with you and for you.
God Bless You!
Jeremy Little, Minister
