When I was praying about who should be the first faith story feature on the blog, I heard God say, “Start from where it began”. After I heard that, I immediately thought about the first person I called after I had encountered countless doctors who had no idea what was wrong with me, after one day waking up with the left side of my body tingling and numb with jolting sharp pain, among other severe issues.
It was a particular Facebook post written just months prior to my issue, talking about being healed from Dystonia (autoimmune disorder said to have no cure), that I recalled from Sylvia Johnson Grant that led me to call her and ask her…“How did this happen? How did God heal you?” She told me how she read the stories in the Bible where Jesus healed the woman with the issue of blood, raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead, healed the blind and the lepers, and the sick among Him. She shared with me that same healing is still available to me today. She told me how she meditated on Hebrews 10: 35-36 and the book of Job who in this Bible story, went through a series of tumultuous events but never cursed God for what was happening to him. Job ended up receiving twice as much as he had before.
You see on that day, she gave me so much more than conversation and is part of the reason that I am alive today. She gave me Faith in Jesus to believe and keep trusting God because His plan for me was not my current situation, it is so much greater and so much bigger than me.
The testimony below is that of Sylvia Grant and is such a reflection of the healing power of Jesus and a testament of receiving twice as much as she had before.
“I grew up knowing about God and I’ve spent my life trying to please him. But in March 2009, I came into relationship with Jesus Christ. I was a lonely college student whose fervent prayer of death consumed the night. I wished anything would take my life because I believed that direct suicide would cast me into the pits of hell. But in March, my final months of college as I cried in my dorm room I felt the presence of the Lord and heard a voice say “I’m your friend, talk to me.” Jesus Christ was now not only the God I knew about but I knew him as my comforter. Years later I’d know he was the God who heals. Which brings me to 2014. I am a Bible believing Christian who spends their days teaching middle school science and ministering to children and their families. I thoroughly enjoy it, but now I can feel the toll that life has taken on my body. Year after year I have visited the doctor trying to figure out what was going wrong with me. My energy is drained, my body tremors, and now I feel the most excruciating pain day after day. And finally after years of test my health issues have a name: Dystonia. “Dystonia is a neurological disorder that causes excessive, involuntary muscle contractions.” And it had progressed in the worst way. I couldn’t even walk anymore let alone stand in front of my class. By noon I had zero energy. But God I’m serving you I thought day in and day out. The doctor prescribed a medicine and if I use the medicine every 3 hours I would have some control over my movement. The medicine I was prescribed was the same medicine given to Parkinson’s disease patients. But if I take this medicine I could walk, I wouldn’t be dizzy, and as long as I go to bed every night I could get rest. I was thankful to God that he had given my physician team the answers to help me. It took months, but I could live a better life with the medicine. My heart was broken. I had already lost my teaching position. I had to step away from all of my assignments in ministry. But yet, I knew that God was good. But what I didn’t know was that he wasn’t finished yet. Every day I read Hebrews 10:36 “Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.” I could feel The enemy wanted me badly. He wanted me hurt, lonely, and most of all he wanted me offended. Separated from the very God that gave me a free gift of salvation. But God had given me strength to stand on his Word. On Sunday, June 28, 2015, before going home to Savannah, GA forever, I felt the healing power of God go through my body. But I was still sick when the pastor who prayed for me released his hand. I went back to my seat thinking this is it. My journey in New Orleans is over. I’m going back home where I can serve God but be surrounded by family. My time here is up. I didn’t allow my thought to consume me. I sat there in the service and believed for others breakthrough. Then I heard “you’re being healed.” 7 days later, I was back home with my mother running on the park and it didn’t occur to me how awesome I felt immediately. But when I got back home I remembered that I forgot to take my dystonia medicine. Wait, I forgot to take my medicine. God help me. I ran upstairs to my room to grab the bottle of pills and I heard a voice again. “You don’t need those.” Ok, but I read that you’re suppose to take of the medicine slowly by a physician or you could die. “You don’t need those.” So I put the bottle away and here I am today. Healed, delivered and no one can tell me that God doesn’t heal. I was not only healed physically that day but emotionally. No one can reject one whom God has already accepted. God isn’t finished with me yet.”
Sylvia is now married to her loving husband and a mother of a handsome 1-year-old baby boy. I witnessed both her wedding and the birth of her first child and her life has always been a constant reminder to me of just how faithful God is. Slyvia continues to walk in purpose and shares her faith in Jesus at every opportunity. I’m so thankful she chose to witness the Good News of Jesus Christ to me that day because it literally saved my life.
Stay tuned for more Faith Traveler testimonies…
The Faith Travels 