Out of the Belly of the Whale

Out of the Belly of the Whale The Journey Begins Winds blew full and steady as the vessel sailed further and further away from the coastal city of Joppa. Salt spray licked the wrinkled face of the old prophet as noisy sea birds screeched and signaled overhead. Determined sailors heaved and adjusted heavy sails as the vessel silently cut a neat path through the gorgeous blue Mediterranean Sea. Gentle breezes lured the doomed voyage on. The ship enjoyed a fair wind but over the horizon storm clouds gathered. Soon, a crash of lightening shattered the black Western sky sending circumstances too compelling for Jonah to ignore. Safe and secure on the ship’s bow, Jonah stared aimlessly at the monotonous swirling whitecaps below. But everything was about to change, without warning Jonah would soon find himself at the bottom of the sea and in a whale’s belly. Like Jonah I was sailing happily along, busy with life and devoted to my family, church friends, a new home and an exciting career. I had no idea that just over the horizon the enemy of my soul, Satan, was preparing my greatest hurricane and darkest night. In the fall of 1996, I was diagnosed with kidney failure. Before that storm was over, I questioned everything I believed in. Without the support of my family, loved ones and church plus the miracle working power of God, I would have surely given up. But as quickly as the trial came, it left. In the blink of an eye (well it was really two long years of untold suffering and hardship), I was healed. In my book, Out of the Belly of the Whale, I chronicle the many lessons I learned about God and the process of how He made me whole. This is a section from one of my chapters, may you find hope and courage as you read it! God’s Individual Plan God has an individual plan for your success despite the trial. But there is something you must do to overcome; you must cooperate with His plan. There is not just a one way for an individual to get out of a health struggle. As you relate to God, there will be a God given individual plan for your success and well being. In Florida, we have lots of citrus trees. Each fruit tree is unique and must be cultivated accordingly. What husbandman would be so foolish and treat every tree the same without attending to its particular need? This is where the individual God plan for you comes in. To bring forth fruit and have the fruit remain, you must let God decide on the best plan by consulting him. After all, He is the great Husbandman. Some of us may have a problem with insects, some may need more fertilizer. Some may need weeding or some may even need a bit of trimming. In all of this, God has an individual plan to save you from the particular trial and it does involve your faith. As you follow hard after God by faith, that same faith will heal you. But you must follow God’s plan. Keeping the Pests Away Did I ever want to give up? Of course, when I came to the realization that I had no ability to perform the miracle; I knew I had to stay focused in faith regardless. It was God’s business to determine the right time for my miracle. My job was to trust Him. But getting to that place took every bit of effort I could muster. In the end it took two years. When I came to the point of complete faith and trust, realizing I was not the one in control, I was at the beginning of the end. I had done everything in my power to cooperate with God’s spirit and accomplish the character results needed. Each day I yielded myself to display the purpose and the character of God in my life. In the end, I had created the climate for God Almighty to work on my behalf. Now it was God’s turn. I waited patiently (well maybe I wasn’t that patient at times) on Him. It seemed like an eternity, but like the silk worm carefully spinning a cocoon, faith engulfed me and when I finally emerged, I did so as the proverbial butterfly with delicate wings. Heaven’s cocoon produced heavenly results. When I finished quietly trusting, God came into the atmosphere that I had allowed Him to create and in that wonderful atmosphere, I was healed.