Pray in Faith! ~ Jesus Answers Prayers!

November 8, 2021

I arrived home from Michigan Yesterday. I was there from Oct 30-Nov 6.

Today Dad is awake and recovering well! 

Thursday (Nov 4) around 11am,  they removed the drug that was keeping his body paralyzed. 

Friday (Nov 5) they began weaning Dad from one of his sedation drugs. 

He was able to breath with the machine on a setting called 'spontaneous breathing' for six hours on the 5th. That means that the vent was no longer starting the breath, or controlling the size and length of each breath, but it was simply giving support each breath as Dad initiated the beginning, end, and volume of each breath he took! 

Saturday (Nov 6) they removed another sedative and when mom came in and put her hand on dad's shoulder, and told him she was with him, he raised his shoulder up - indicating he could feel and comprehend her presence! 

And Sunday (Nov 7) he woke up  - he was confused, agitated and a bit delirious.

They gave him his first breathing test to see if his lungs had healed enough to be moved off of the vent - he failed his first breathing test - which they informed Mom was very normal. They said it's normal to fail the 1st, 2nd, and sometimes the 3rd breathing test when coming off of the ventilator. 

This morning - November 8, 2021 - he passed his 2nd breathing test and they removed the tube!! 

Yay Jesus! 

November 16, 2021

I had intended to write the whole story last week - but I have found that whenever I have something very important to write - it is the most difficult thing to find time to do! 

Today (Nov 16) Dad is in his fourth day at rehab! He was moved from the ICU Tuesday evening (Nov 9) and placed in a regular hospital room. He continued to make big improvements each day! Praise Jesus! Friday evening (Nov 12), they moved dad over to rehab.

Saturday (Nov 13) Dad was assessed in every area imaginable for strength and ability. Four or five hours of assessments - he was tired at the end of it all - given his level of strength, they are anticipating only a few weeks in rehab - and then probably some physical therapy for a bit when his goes home. 

November 30, 2021

Now, let me go back to the beginning of this whole thing. Dad first started feeling symptoms around October 10. Mom had begun her symptoms a day or two before. I had no idea they were sick until October 18, 2021. Mom was already beginning to feel better, but Dad was not. He went to the emergency room on Sunday evening, October 17, due to shortness of breath. Their doc ordered at home treatments and he seemed to make a slight improvement on Tuesday, but Wednesday (Oct 20) he could not keep his oxygen level up and they took him in to the hospital. 

Dad's condition declined. 

Friday, October 22, they moved him to the ICU because the doc was concerned they may need a vent for him. We were all praying he would not have to go on the vent - it felt like failure for that to happen. Friday I was struggling, well - truth be told I was struggling from Wednesday (Oct 20) when one of my brothers added all the siblings to a FB group chat and said, "it's time to pray - dad's back in the hospital" most of us did not know about the emergency room visit from the Sunday prior, so this was a shock.  Even though mom had called me on Monday, Oct 18 and told me that they had taken dad to the ER the day before, I had forgotten. I'd prayed for him on that call and thought he would get better. That prayer was answered, just not in the timing I thought...

I pulled out the Scriptures about healing that my sweet friend had shared with me months ago and began meditating. Reading and reading over them again and again. I struggled to focus at work and when they moved him to the ICU Friday morning, my boss told me to take all the time I needed. I left work and parked behind JP's place of employment. I sat in the car and wept and declared Scripture and truth and life over my dad in the spiritual realm. 

I was reading declarations of healing over dad and realized I was not familiar with all of the Scripture references being used. Knowing that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, and that God has promised His words will not return to him void; I decided to look up every reference and read the verse or verses. 

Mark 11:22-24 arrested me. 

22 Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, everything you pray and ask for—believe that you have received it and it will be yours."

"Believe that you have received it and it will be yours."

I asked God for my dad restored back to us in FULL health. 

My faith felt small, and the Holy Spirit brought to mind the verse about faith the size of a mustard seed. I said to the Lord, "God, my faith feels small - but it is AT LEAST the size of a mustard seed. This is my request in faith - restore Dad back to us in full health." 

“For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

I planted my mustard seed of faith in the ground that day - and boy, oh boy has it ever grown!

My first action of faith, after praying and asking in faith for my dad to be restored to us in full health was to text my siblings in the group chat. I sent Mark 11:22-24 and said, "This is the verse I am standing on. We will receive Dad back to us in full health." 

Saturday morning, Oct 23 they put dad on a low pressure vent. Mom said it felt like a defeat. It felt scary and uncertain for me, but I clung to my request and continued to tell God that I believed he would deliver Dad back to us in full health. Friday night and Saturday night was our church's conference - 'Encounter Jesus: First Love.' I sat in the sanctuary Friday evening with earplugs in because of how loud the worship team was - it was good, but too loud for me. I wept and prayed and clung to Jesus. Saturday was hard - I painted half of our bathroom because I just needed to DO SOMETHING. Saturday evening we went to the second night of the conference because we were both serving. JP in sound and me in kids. It went well, but I was distracted and kept checking my phone for updates. 

Sunday, Oct 24 was another day of struggle - fighting doubt to cling to Mark 11:22-24. I skipped church that evening to "rest" but I probably would be have been very blessed if I'd gone. I just didn't want to see any people... I guess I could have watched online… I don't know why I didn't think of that. Anyway, JP was sweet to me this whole time, prayed with me and encouraged me. I am blessed he's in my life. 

Tuesday, Oct 26 - On the way to women's bible study I prayed for my dad and our whole family. I felt a boldness and faith come over me that was very powerful as I prayed. Something shifted within me. Faith was growing. That seed that I deposited in the spiritual ground of my heart on Friday, Oct 22, just broke through the surface of the ground. 

Jesus gave me two songs to mediate on. "There's Just Something About that Name" - A song my Nana always sang to us grandkids, and "There's Within My Heart A Melody" - the 'New Song' Jesus brought to my heart May 31, 2019 after doing some deep healing in my life through my mentor. I hadn't thought of either song in a while. But I began to play them on repeat and sing them to myself over and over again.

Wednesday, Oct 27 - I continued to mediating on the two songs the Lord brought to my heart the night before. Doing this led to so much peace. Even though Dad was still struggling, and not all the updates were good, I was resting in Jesus' sweet embrace. Total peace filled my heart. I also continued to read and pray many Scriptures for Dad. The more I meditated on the Scriptures, the more my faith grew and peace filled my heart. 

Friday, Oct 29 - I attended a women's conference with some ladies from my church. The conference was encouraging, and I felt the Holy Spirit inviting me into a deeper intimacy with Jesus. It was a blessing to get to know women from my church, share how I was struggling with dad's illness, and how I was praying in faith believing for full healing and restoration. They were a big encouragement to me and also prayed for dad. 

Saturday, Oct 30 - A few of us spent the night near the conference and on our way to return Saturday morning, we stopped at a local coffee shop for some breakfast. There were three of us there, talking about the Lord and what He's been doing lately. I was battling some doubt and discouragement over Dad's situation in the back of my mind, but still choosing faith. Still choosing to believe that Dad would be healed and brought back to us in full health. I can't fully put into words the experiences of this day. Let's just say I had such a sweet encounter with Jesus. He called me to rest in the victory - even though dad was still in the hospital in the natural world. 

Later in the day, since I had been away from my phone for awhile, there were a lot of messages from mom about dad. And the news was not good. As I read the messages I sensed a lot of doubts about if Dad would recover at all, and it was like the Holy Spirit zeroed my focus on mom and said, "It's time to go support your mom. You need to bolster her faith." Every day that I had gone into work after Dad was admitted to the hospital, my boss would ask me, when are you going to see you family? My response was the same, "I'll go when Jesus tells me to go." It was clear to me in that moment that the time had come. I was to go as soon as possible, which was the next morning. 

Sunday, Oct 31 - When Mom called this morning, I was already at the airport - I had not told her yet that I was coming in early. So as she was telling me about how pretty the fall leaves were, I said that I hoped they would still be good when I arrived. She said, "yes, if we don't get too much rain they should still be good on Wednesday." "What about today?" I said, "Will they still be good today?" She began to cry a little and asked if I was coming today - I told her I was, that "the Lord told me to come early. I'm coming for you, mom." She cried some more and I cried too. Just as I am crying as I recount this. My flight was uneventful - which I was glad for. I listened to the "Healing for Your Body" track by Joshua Mills on repeat for the whole flight. It's a five minute track, so I must have listened to it nearly 150 times from boarding to landing. Wow - I didn't realize it was that many times until just now. No wonder I felt so full of peace and empowered, the track is just the truth of Scripture in the form of declarations set to music. 

My sweet friend picked me up at the airport. It was SO good to see her. I had asked if I could stay with her, but Sunday morning as JP drove me to the airport, she texted me - with me hugging my mom and my mom going in and out of a covid room, it would be unwise to stay at her house with her dad being medically fragile. I understood 100% and just prayed and thanked the Lord for what he would do. I knew he had already made the way for me. 

I ended up staying at mom's the whole week, which turned out to be the exact right thing. Each day I spent time in prayer and and intercession. I also mediated on Scripture and just simply rested in Jesus. 

Sunday the news was not good. After getting dropped off my mom & dad's, I caught a ride with two of my brothers out to the hospital to see for dinner. She hadn't come down yet, so the guys waited in the car and I marched the length of the sidewalk, praying as the Spirit gave me utterance. Reading and Scriptures and declarations of truth. 

When mom came out, we went to burger king for dinner. One of my sisters alway came out to see mom. Mom didn't want to stay away from dad for very long because he was having a rough time, so after getting some food and sitting together in the car and praying, I led the fam in a cry to God. We cried out, in the same way that Dad had led us many times before, and asked God to save our dad. We cried out to God and we cried. And I encouraged them to have faith and plant their mustard seeds in the ground. 

When mom went back inside I asked her for the car keys. She said, "you're going to sit in the car for two hours and wait for me?" "This is why I'm here." I replied. I sat in the car and prayed and listened to worship music. Another sister stopped by for a little bit and we had a good conversation, then she headed home.

Monday (Nov 1) morning I drove mom back to the hospital and encouraged her along the way. When we got to the hospital and parked I told her, "Mom, you have to guard your heart. When the docs give you bad news, put a wall up in your heart and don't fully receive it. You can acknowledge it in the natural, but I believe that in the spiritual dad is already healed. And we pray in faith for his healing to manifest in the natural." She said she would try, and after praying she went into the building. I had prayed for angels to go with her, and minister to her, as I had been praying for dad since he went into the hospital in October (there's more to the prayers for angels that I will try to add somewhere -- there's just so much to record because God moved in so many ways, I don't want to miss a single thing!).

There was a new doc on rounds that morning, and after giving mom the update on dad for the morning, mom responded and said, "we are trusting Jesus to heal him 100%" and the doc replied, "I agree! The bible says that if two agree in faith and ask for anything they will receive it. Let's lay hands on him and pray for his healing." So they did. Before the doc left the room he said, "we should do this for all our patients!"

Mom talked about this doctor the rest of the week, she said that he was her angel that day. 

Later in the day the docs told mom that they really couldn't do much more for dad, and they recommended transferring him to the bigger hospital in the city, where he could have a treatment called a bronchoscopy. This is where they put a small camera down the tube in dad's mouth to see into his lungs and measure the state of things. 

While eating lunch with mom we prayed that she would have wisdom to make the decision. There are always risks when moving someone who's in the ICU. 

About 9pm that evening they were ready to transfer him to the bigger hospital. I picked mom up and drove her downtown. Covering every moment in prayer. 

I dropped her off at the emergency entrance, and then went to find a parking spot. Dad arrived just moments later and they entered the elevators only a short time apart and arrived on his floor simultaneously. Mom went into this room as they got dad settled in, and immediately they performed the bronchoscopy. 

After going in and looking around his lungs with the camera to see all the mucus in there, they added some kind of solution to soften it all up and then they suctioned it out. They removed such a large quantity of mucus that the doc said that if the mucus had stayed in his lungs it would have killed him. After about two hours, mom came out to the car and we went home. 

When I was assigned to go be with mom, the words I felt in my spirit were, "go bolster mom's faith." that evening, as mom and I went to sleep, she said, "Sarah, thank you for coming, you have bolstered my faith." I had not told her those were the words the Lord put on my heart about coming.

Tuesday morning as I was journaling and spending some time with Jesus, I decided to look up the word 'bolster.' 

Bolster = "The name of a long think pillow that is placed under other pillows for support. - 'To bolster' means to offer support or strengthen another' to support and prop them up, just like the pillow props up and supports a person's back."

Wow. I smiled as I read that definition and I smile now as I write this... what great love and care Jesus has for my mom that He would send me to be this kind of support for her in this difficult time. 

Each day that I was with my mom and family I felt the tangible presence of Jesus. I asked him how I was to spend my time and he answered me. It was so special. Driving mom each day to the hospital, praying with her, exhorting her. It was so special to do. And the Lord also provided a "secret garden" getaway space for me through the gracious love of some sweet friends from my church.

Thursday morning as I began getting ready to drive mom to the hospital, she shared with me that since Dad was no longer in a cvd unit, he was now allowed two visitors. She said that she felt that I could handle it and invited me to go up with her. So I did. 

As we road the elevator to Dad's floor, I felt nervous. Faith was swirling in me and I thought it would be amazing if when I walked in the room and said, "Dad, rise up." & he rose up and got out of bed. Jesus can do that still! 

That is not what happened, and that's okay. It was a privilege to stand at dad's bedside and talk to him, pray over him, and speak life over his body. I spent half the day in his room with mom. About mid-morning they began to wean dad off of the paralytic meds, and his body responded very well. I sang, prayed, and read scripture to him, as did mom - she read a certain Psalm to him every day - and I told him about all the things the Lord had been doing and how He'd been showing up in amazing ways. 

Friday (Nov 5) I also went to the hospital with mom and prayed some more, spoke the declarations again, and played music for him. Earlier that morning I had gone to my secret garden with Jesus and spent time in prayer and journaling. With dad having been weaned off his paralytic meds the day before, I knew that he would be waking up soon, within a couple of days, and I wanted so badly to stay until he woke up - but as I asked Jesus about it, he spoke clearly, my assignment was done, I was to head home as planned on Saturday. Friday they weaned dad off of his different sedative meds and he began to respond to voice commands. The nurse held his hand, said his name, and asked dad to squeeze his hand if he could hear him. He responded with both hands. 

Since I typed out what happened on Saturday (Nov 6), and Sunday (Nov 7) & after above, I won't repeat the matter here. 

What I will repeat here is this - pray in faith. Jesus answers prayers. He came as a healer, and he is still the healer today. All glory and honor for my dad's recovery goes to Jesus alone! 

We are incredibly grateful for the medical staff who cared for dad and answered all of mom's questions. We are incredibly grateful for all of the amazing people who lifted my dad up in prayer.

We are incredibly thankful that Jesus is alive and well and still working miracles in the earth! 

"Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us -- to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen" - Ephesians 3:20-21 

Peace & love,
Sarah