Judith Edmonds 1 

Some people wonder whether the Lord really does heal as He says in the Bible and I can tell you

HE REALLY DOES!

 
My life up to 1990, I thought, was pretty OK: I had a good job that I loved for which I was very handsomely paid, I had a very comfortable home, two great daughters, very good social life, very good health, extremely fit, and everything I thought I wanted out of life. I thought I’d got it made

 
Then it happened. At 2pm on New Year's Eve 1990 an artery in my brain decided to burst wide open - a pretty serious situation you would think. Well some people die and a few survive. There are two recognised events that go hand in hand with this event - a stroke and pneumonia. Well, I had both happen, eagerly assisted by a duodenal ulcer which decided to misbehave, and my family were told many times over the next three weeks that I had only one hour to live
 
Because this blood vessel had chosen to rupture at a most inconvenient time, the roads were icy and the wind very blowy so was not allowed to travel by road and I was not allowed up in a helicopter, surgery was delayed by about ten days
 
However, I had surgery at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge on 12th January and my family were told that, in the unlikely event that I did survive, it was probable that I would need constant care for the rest of my life. The warning was so positive that my, then, husband sold our business, which he ran, in order to be able to look after me.   As you can see, I survived and was transferred back to the local hospital. On the 25th January I was allowed home
 
Naturally, there were follow-up appointments with the neurosurgeon from Addenbrookes and the consultant at the local hospital. The first of these appointments was in late February with the surgeon, and he said that he couldn’t understand how I was still here and that I was a 'walking miracle'. He also said that I could return to work! The second appointment was with the local consultant and he said that he couldn’t understand how I was still here and that I was a 'walking miracle'. At that time, I was not a Christian and I just thought it was because I was as stubborn as a mule. Now I know better
 
1991 continued to be a very traumatic year. I was unable to do the job I loved as I had huge gaps in my knowledge bank, my brain was not so quick, and I was very weak physically and mentally. I was unable to earn the money to sustain the lifestyle we had: the house had to go on the market. My husband became extremely ‘distant’ and I began to feel really vulnerable
 
In September, my husband suggested we take a holiday in Normandy and I reluctantly agreed. Our relationship by then had become very fragile as he, quite naturally, ‘wanted back the person I used to be’ (someone who was a stranger to me) so it was an extremely uncomfortable holiday with this person who didn’t really want to be with me and I truly knew what despair was
 
One day, we decided to visit Mount St Michel; something we both really had looked forward to. What a let-down. It was a beautiful place from the outside, but, once on the little island and inside the castle, it was like being in a giant MacDonald’s. There were fast food outlets at every corner, etc and not the place we thought we were going to. However, we came to a little church and, I don’t know why, but I suggested we go inside. What a change! There was calm and quiet, no-one about, and we sat down. I felt an enormous sense of ‘something’ I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I felt safe, loved and really peaceful in all the turmoil of my mind; and I felt something like a great big cuddle and I distinctly heard a voice saying “don’t worry; everything’s going to be alright”. It still gives me a huge tingle when I think about it!
 
Early in 1992, I had a whole new life to start – on my own. Later in the year, I moved house to a small terraced house (quite a change but it was all mine and the Building Society’s) and my whole life changed.   The Lord’s path led me to an Alpha course and I became a Christian in June, 1995, and, yes, I am as stubborn as a mule, but I also know that the Lord is the only person who could have such power to heal and he laid so many clues in the chain of events. Many people were praying hard for me as, thankfully, my brother is a Christian and mustered up the support
 
The Lord has not fully healed me, as I know He could, and I thank Him daily for the limitations, pain, etc that He has left with me as I am sure that had the Lord healed me and put me back to how I was, then I would have stayed where I was and would not have known Him in the way I now do. He always knows best! I take joy in the fact that He stripped me of everything I thought was important and the fact that He has limited me in order to bring me to Him and learn what is really important
 
I’d like to close with a little prayer:
 
Thank you, Lord, for the miraculous ways You have worked in the past.  Help us to remember Your power and faithfulness when we can see only trouble and difficulty.  Amen