Greetings,
This week, with Joanne Bagley’s permission, I am including her thoughts in regard to her recent near death experience. Many of you have been praying for Joanne and we have all been greatly encouraged by God’s dramatic intervention. Many are going through severe health trials and I hope it is helpful to read this amazing story of trusting, learning and communing with God through trials:
“I often wondered how Christ was able to pray all night long before choosing His disciples. How do you continue a one-sided conversation without running out of things to say?
Well, recently I was debilitated by the return of a brain cancer tumor that came on with a vengeance. I had several seizures which caused me to slowly lose control of my legs and arms. I started falling and becoming unable to pick up or hold things because my hands wouldn’t work right. I continued to deteriorate until I could no longer walk. I finally had to be put into a hospital bed. I couldn’t even sit up on my own. I was totally helpless and had to have twenty-four hour a day care, and Hospice was called in to render comfort care. All I could do was lay in the bed.
Was this the end? I knew God would heal me, but it might be in the World Tomorrow, not today. I began praying and meditating hour after hour; and then I found that it wasn’t a one-way conversion. Through God’s Spirit He worked on my mind and thinking. He was directing and helping me.
The Scripture that came to my mind was to endure until the end. What does that really mean? How do you endure? Just simply dying is going to happen anyway, but what was my part? I then thought of what attitude to have at the time of death – total and complete willing surrender to God, just as Jesus Christ was on this earth. He endured until the end, going through anything – complete total surrender in love and trust toward His Father – selfless. That’s what I must do.
Could I completely, happily, willingly surrender to God in love? Did I truly believe that He is a God of love? How willing was I to give up my way of life in order to do everything His way and be a true servant in the Kingdom of God? Would I surrender my life for all eternity?
I kept praying and meditating, and yes, sometimes all night long. God kept directing my thoughts. This went on for about two weeks. I felt that I now understood, yes, I could die and endure until the end. I had hope.
And then suddenly God started miraculously intervening for me to get better. I started to be able to sit up on my own, I started to be able to use my arms again, I could hold a cup in order to take a drink of water. I was then able to be lifted up and shuffle my feet and sit in a wheelchair.
I continued the prayer and meditation now under a different set of circumstances. God had revealed Himself personally to me through communicating with me through His Holy Spirit. He had directed me and now He was healing me. He was real! He was in my life! He cared about me! I have been called for a reason and He would see that I would fulfill that calling.
My thinking now shifted from dying to living. I thought of Israel in Egypt. God revealed Himself to them through many miracles and brought them out, but as soon as trouble came they lost faith in all the miracles, they quit trusting God and became fearful. I thought of Peter walking on the water. God revealed Himself and Peter did walk on the water, but Peter looked at the storm and quit trusting God.
God revealed Himself to me and mightily intervened in my life. I kept getting better and better each day and am still improving, but I have not been completely healed. It’s easy to become fearful again, but I can’t, I must not look at Pharaoh’s army or the raging storm, I must go forward through the Red Sea, I must walk on the water in complete surrender to God.
More prayer and meditation – qualifying for God’s Kingdom is the most important thing. I thought of the Parable of the Pounds and the Parable of the Talents. I want to gain the ten pounds, not settle for the five or the one pound. The more I can overcome and surrender now the more useful I can be for everyone else in God’s Kingdom.
What an awesome exciting opportunity we all have! To be able to be used by God if we truly believe in His way, if we agree completely in His way of life and want to live that way for all eternity! How useful we can truly be! We must walk on the water, we must go through the Red Sea, we must reach towards God’s Kingdom with all our might, until we gain those ten pounds.
I could never have learned these lessons without going through this trial. I am so thankful for God’s mercy and showing me just how real He really is. And when times get hard, I can go back to this trial and remember and be able to keep going forward in faith. God is real! He revealed Himself to me!
Trials truly are blessings when God is there.”
Of further encouragement this week are the positive reports of improvement for Shereen Johnson, Steve and Judy Lambert along with Jack and Judy Rector.
Feast of Tabernacles
Since the Feast we have been in negotiations with the two hotels we used this year. All reports on the two sites were positive with some asking if we could use them again next year. This week we finalized contracts for both the Marriott Tulsa Hotel Southern Hills, and the Oxnard Residence Inn. Since the Feast begins on a Sunday evening next year, we have arranged to hold a Sabbath service immediately prior to the Feast in both locations. The negotiated room rates will apply from Friday, September 25 through October 5. Reservation information will be available soon.
Sabbath services will originate from the Bay Area this week.
Warm Regards,
Brian Orchard
