I’d scheduled arthroscopic surgery to repair the medial meniscus on my right knee. Within twenty-four hours I began to doubt my decision. What’s going on? I wondered. Was this pre-surgery jitters? Was God telling me to not have surgery?
The prompting to cancel the surgery didn’t make sense to me.
As I prayed, Deuteronomy 29:29 came to mind. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law” (NIV). God had shown me what I needed to do. The reason why was one of His secrets.
The secret things belong to the Lord our God (Deut: 29:29) #wisdom Click To TweetI felt confused, but I realized that recognizing His leading was more important than understanding why. God knows the future. He sees the whole picture. Good decisions don’t depend on my understanding. They come from trusting His wisdom.
Feeling awkward, I called my surgeon and told him I needed to cancel the surgery. Thankfully, he is a Christ-follower and didn’t argue with me. But I still wondered why God had me cancel when my knee still hurt.
Months later my physical therapist said a new study showed that people with diminished cartilage were more likely to need knee replacements following the type of surgery I’d canceled. My X-ray had shown eroded knee cartilage.
I continued to exercise and drink my green smoothies. My knee got better. Then I tore the cartilage on the other side of the knee. This time new X-rays brought good news. The main cartilage had begun to grow back! That made me a better candidate for lateral meniscus surgery.
What amazed me most is my surgeon found no sign of my previous injury when he examined inside my knee during surgery!
There’s a lot I don’t understand about God’s ways. But I know He’s always good and wise. He is beyond understanding and worthy of my trust. My experience reminded me that good decisions and peace of mind don’t come from understanding why, but from knowing Who leads me.
How do you recognize God’s leading?
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Blessings,
Debbie W. Wilson
Photo by: Jacob Bøtter
Linking with: #LivefreeThursday,
In August of 2002 I found out I had a brain tumor. It was a slow-growing tumor so surgery was scheduled for 3 months later in November. I was teaching Bible studies at my church in Virginia and had just agreed to an 8-week study in which over 30 women had signed up. As I prayed about whether I should cancel the study I truly felt in my heart God wanted me to move forward as planned. God gave me complete peace those 3 months I awaited surgery and I didn’t realize until much later that living out my faith in the midst of that “crisis” wasn’t so much for me as it was for the women in my Bible study. One woman told me years later that on the first night we met together and I shared with them I would be having brain surgery, she went home and told her husband, “I don’t know what this Bible teacher has, but I want it.” If I had cancelled that Bible study my faith would not have come alive for all those women. It was as if that brain tumor held me accountable and I had to live out my faith in a way I never had before. I agree, God is always so very good.
Wow, Nina. Your courage touches and inspires me. You always do! Glory to God for using your time of weakness for eternal good.
Thank you for sharing these uplifting thoughts today! I’m learning how to walk through chronic illness, and my husband has some of his own health issues now, and in the midst of it all, I have committed to obey God in the #Write31Days challenge. I have felt so weak to follow through with that challenge, but your words (and even Nina’s comment to you, above here) have been such an encouragement to me today! It’s not up to me to know “how” or “why” I am to follow through with this, but to trust Him to provide all that I need! –Blessings to you!
Bettie, I’m also dealing with health issues brought on by exposure to black mold. I wrestle with when I am to rest and when I am to press on. I believe it is a day by day, moment by moment walk. Bless you.
Wow! What a great testimony! Glad everything worked out for you and that now you can use it to inspire others! Cindy your #livefree neighbor