Get Ready!

On Sunday, November 15th, during the 11:00 service at Rose Heights Lindale the Lord gave me a very clear word about my dad's upcoming surgery and healing. I was on my knees during worship and the Lord very clearly spoke two things to me. The first was that He was going to do something big in regards to my dad's surgery and healing. The second was to tell his doctor to "Get Ready" for it. I believed the Lord, but telling someone else to "get ready" goes past belief, that was all about obedience. I didn't laugh out loud, but I laughed silently just like Sarah did in Genesis 18. I know, the Lord heard me just like He heard Sarah. At this point I was well versed in covid policies at hospitals so I knew I likely would not be able to be in the hospital, certainly not in the pre op area to talk to his doctor before the surgery. I wanted to do what the Lord had asked me to do though, so I wrote the doctor a short note to tell him and asked my mom to give it to him. She was very willing.

That same night I had a group of friends text me to ask if there was anything specific they could pray for. For about a week I had been praying for my dad's vision. There was no reason for that, nothing had been mentioned about his vision, but the Lord put it on my heart to pray for so that is what I did. I asked those three friends to specifically pray for his vision. As always, they fervently prayed specifically for my dad's vision.

Before the surgery my mom told the doctor I had written a note for him. She said he had a puzzled look on his face. He may have thought I was crazy and he hadn't even read the note yet! He read it, and so did the other surgeon. Then he nodded his head and put it in his pocket and they moved forward.

The hospital policy was only one visitor per patient but I was allowed to enter and was able to sit with my mom in the waiting room. About three hours into surgery the surgeon came out to talk with us. He told us that two of the three areas they were working on were going exactly as planned, one was actually a little better than they had hoped, but the cancer around my dad's eye was much worse than anticipated. He would probably lose his eye. The surgeon had been on the phone with his mentor during the surgery and said that he was working to get us into his mentor in Fort Worth who was the best surgeon for dealing with the cancer around his eye. He said it could take a few days, maybe even a week or two, but he would get us in. They also didn't do the reconstructive surgery because they needed to remove all of the cancer, and probably his eye, before they could do the reconstruction. I am so glad I was able to be there with my mom when she received the news. It's interesting though, when the surgeon told us about his eye, he said he was so sorry to give us the bad news but neither of us heard it as devastating, we just internalized it as a change of plans. I believe that was the Holy Spirit keeping us focused on who God is, not on the circumstances. In John 14:27 Jesus says, "I am leaving you with a gift - leave of mind and heart. And the peace I give you is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid."

That evening we walked my dad through all of it. He was upset, but hopeful for the best. He was supposed to spend 5-7 days in the hospital, but because they hadn't done the reconstruction yet, that wasn't necessary. They were planning to send him home on Tuesday. But Tuesday morning the surgeon called my dad and told us not to sign the discharge papers. He said the surgeon in Fort Worth could do the surgery the next day but he needed to be transferred while still admitted to the hospital so as to not have a crazy insurance confusion. Late that night my dad was transferred by ambulance to Fort Worth. We could not meet him at the hospital until visiting hours started on Wednesday and even then only one of us could be with him at a time. We drove to the area early hoping they would allow one of us to go in early. We were at a nearby hotel, planning to get a room for the next night or two when my dad called very upset. He told us that a doctor had come in and told him that they would be able to remove the cancer but that he would lose his eye. He was devastated. My mom and I went to the hospital and valet parked the car. The valet could tell we were very upset and told us he was praying for us as we went inside. When we got to the covid checkpoint they told us only one of us could go in. So they screened my mom and took her back. Then the lady asked me a few more questions and said she would call to see if I could be cleared to go in as well. She was picking up the phone to call and it rang. It was a hospital administrator and she was calling to tell her to screen me as well and send me to the ICU. I texted my brothers to let them know what was happening and I texted a few friends to have them praying.

It was a rough morning. Nothing my mom and I could say or do could console my dad. He was anxious and feeling trapped. I asked to speak to the surgeon. He was in another staggery but the staff told me a fe other members of the team could come talk with us. One of my brothers texted to tell me he was on his way. He was at least going to try to get in to see my dad too. About an hour later my brother walked in the room. They let him in the hospital too. The staff wanted to take my dad back to surgery before we talked with the surgeon's team but we all refused. The number two surgeon on the team, a PA, and an NP all came up to talk with us. They were kind but very direct. We asked them all kinds of questions about the chances of healing without removing my dad's eye, what life would be like without the eye, what the prognosis was if his eye was removed. In the end, my dad decided that if the only way to have treatment that was considered curative, not palliative, was to removed the eye he was okay with that. Before the doctors left, I asked them one more time if they were going to try to save his eye first. They said yes, but that it would be pretty much impossible to do that. My mom asked them if we could pray with them before they left. They agreed and we both prayed. I claimed healing and protection for my dad's eye in that prayer because God has promised to do something big. Then my dad went back for surgery.

My mom, my brother, and I went to the hospital cafeteria to get lunch. The conversation turned to ways we could help my dad get back to normal life with one eye. I would answer their questions and throw out ideas, but I also kept telling them that as far as I was concerned Dad still had that eye until the doctor told me he didn't. The hospital has an outdoor courtyard area that was fully enclosed by the building around it. We decided to sit out there because we noticed that it wasn't cold because the wind outside didn't seem to affect anything within the courtyard. I had worship music playing and we were all talking. Then my mom and brother both went inside for a minute. When I was alone, the wind started swirling in the courtyard. I looked across through the building to the open outside area and it was perfectly still outside. This was not some random wind. I knew in that moment it was the Holy Spirit. My mom and brother came outside and noticed the wind had picked up. I didn't say anything to them in that moment.

About three hours into surgery the surgeon called my mom. It seemed like they are were on the phone for 10 minutes. It was probably more like a couple of minutes. The surgeon told my mom that there is no medical reason for why everything worked as it did, but they were able to remove the cancer and save my dad's eye! What an incredible miracle! I don't know that I have even been that excited in my life. It was absolutely incredible!

God gave Sarah a child in her old age (Genesis 15, 18, and 21), He raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11), He healed a lame man (Mark 2), and gave sight to the blind (Luke 18). He also saved my dad's eye. He is a miracle worker.

The story isn't over. The Lord keeps performing miracles for my dad. He continues to make a way! I will continue to post about all that the Lord has done in the past six months. It's been a crazy ride and God's faithfulness has be evident every step of the way.