Broomfield UMC

Healings of the Heart

by Graham Histed

 

Father God, You are so good.

Day one after the surgery. I have a gaping hole in my hand, something straight out of a horror movie to be honest. I can’t help but laugh though, and rejoice simply because of how much fruit has been born from this whole situation.

 

To give a little context, my hand had become infected during construction of a church in Eldoret, Kenya this April. We are guessing the infection was due to bacteria infested waters that contaminated an open blister on my hand. Don’t worry though, I had many keeping an eye on me in case I turned into a zombie overnight.

 

Gettin’ SWOLL bro... haha

 

Before leaving Eldoret, I got to pray with my friends. We prayed for great healing, a miraculous recovery to unfold before our very eyes, to see my hand the size of a birthday balloon rapidly deflate, leaving us in awe of all things Holy and dancing like we had ants in our pants. Sadly, God did not do such things, He did something better.

 

As we were praying for the Heavens to come down and give me a Holy high-five of healing, God began to do something that no surgeon, no doctors, no nurses, and quite frankly, no being other than the Creator of this universe could do. God began miraculous healings of our hearts, in the deepest of places where infections are hidden by darkness.

 

Our prayers almost immediately shifted from crying out in desperation for the throbbing pain to be vanquished, to us opening our hearts, souls, and minds to what the Holy Ghost had to say about the matter. My prayer became, “Father, I know you don’t waste a minute, and I know You are using this pain to bring us closer to You. I thank You for what You are teaching me, help me to understand and hear, sorry it took until now for me to begin listening. I KNOW YOU ARE FAITHFUL, HELP ME TO REMAIN FAITHFUL TO YOU.”

 

Our hearts then shifted from my body, to the body of Christ. My infection and ailment resulted from a simple opened blister. Something I have always overlooked and never taken seriously. God hit me hard with question, “What small openings, gaps, FOOTHOLDS, have you overlooked in your spiritual body, that have and can result in infection of the entire body of Christ?”

 

All of a sudden things began to clear up, and I was seeing the power and destructive nature of idols, and sins in my life that I had underestimated, like a small blister leading into an infection of my body. I began to repent for seeking people’s affirmation above God’s, and for idolizing myelf and my glory above His name. I began to see where I was trying so hard to make a name for myself on this Earth with my own infected hands, even though He has already given me a name, and calls me “son”.  

 

This is when God began cleaning my soul out, squeezing the infectious pus of sin and complacency out of me, and as with both situations literally and metaphorically, the cleansing process can be excruciatingly painful, but through it all, God is bringing me, my family, my friends, and even strangers in this hospital closer to Him through it all. 

 

Less swoll bro... But PUMPED on some SERIOUS MEDS!! 

 

I cannot deny the healings, the joy, or the intimacy that God has miraculously brought about during these 7 days of hospitalization, and I can only imagine what He as next. 

 

God is good. :) 

 

This was originally posted on Graham Histed's blog at http://grahamhisted.theworldrace.org/ on April 13, 2013. Reprinted by the kind permission of Mr. Graham Histed's bad self. Graham is participating this year in the World Race mission trip. More info at http://www.theworldrace.org/?tab=about. Posted on the BUMC Blog on April 30, 2013.