He opened my eyes. (part 1)

I never put much stock in my dreams. For one thing, I seldom remember them, & they are usually somewhat ridiculous. However, my view of the worth of my dreams changed when I read a book by Mary Beth Chapman. In the forward, Beth Moore writes about a dream God gave her concerning Mary Beth Chapman & the death of her sweet little daughter who lost her precious life in a terrible accident.

Beth Moore called Mary Beth, & when the 2 were finally able to connect, Beth shared the contents of her dream. Indeed, it was specifically meant to be shared with her dear friend. It was powerful & healing. It also contained a message for Mary Beth concerning the next step in her journey as she grieved the loss of her 5 year old baby daughter. It was, in fact, an answer to Mary Beth's prayers.

At the time, I had a dear friend who was suffering more that I have ever suffered. She was scheduled to have surgery at Mayos for almost 100 tumors in her jaw. Because her jaw had been radiated a few years earlier, the tumors were expected to be sticky & hard to remove, not to mention the fact that they were located in a very tenuous spot. So when I awoke from my dream early one morning, I knew God was sending me to lay hands on my sweet friend & pray for her.

She allowed me to do this.  I'd never really been a part of such an experience, but I knew I needed to do what I thought God was asking me to do. As I prayed for her, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit, without a doubt. I'm able to recognize His presence, & I knew He reached through me to touch my sick friend. Very humbling.

The next day we talked & wondered what God had done. Of course, we hoped for complete healing, but she knew she was walking a journey ordained by God. I wasn't "there" yet in my faith. I wanted her to be healed & spared her pain. As she thought about her situation, she came to the realization that during our prayer time, God had removed the stickiness from her tumors. She would still need the tedious surgery, but the tumors would be removable. That proved to be the case.

She had a message for me also, I believe it was a God given message. She wanted me to know that she would be okay whatever her outcome. At this place in my spiritual growth, I was stunned. I felt so humbled that God had a message for me in all of this. He wanted me to begin to understand the treasures found in suffering. Through my suffering friend, He opened my eyes.