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THE CLOCK WAS TICKING….
...and I had approximately one to three years to live! Recently I was diagnosed with a
type of leukemia. I was in the very early stages of the disease but I was already getting
monthly blood transfusions just to stay alive. We knew I needed a miracle, whether it was
going to be an instant divine healing from God, or through the knowledge God gave man in
the form of a bone marrow transplant. As time went on, we prayed and felt that God was
going to heal me through a transplant.
There were miracles along the way. The first miracle came as we were looking for a bone
marrow match. As it turned out both my oldest brother and my second sister were good
matches. Sibling matches are the best but not that common. And I had two good sibling
matches. That was a miracle! For various reasons, my brother was selected and he accepted
the challenge. He came three thousand miles to save my life.
Before I went for the transplant, we asked the people of our church to stand with my
husband and me in prayer for my healing. They not only supported us in prayer, but they
bathed us in love and gifts continually, before, during and after my 50-day hospital stay.
My husband sent out numerous e-mail SOS's for prayer across the world. It was an awesome
thing to see the power of prayer work across the miles as perfect strangers came together
in agreement for my healing.
God showed me His special love and healing through my family. Each member did something
special in their own way. It brought my family closer together in a way that nothing else
could. But the biggest love and support came from my dear husband Chuck. His undying love
never wavered and if anything, it grew even more. I can't explain it, but I did know and
feel God's covering over me in a special way during this whole time.
As I was going through the transplant, I thought a lot about organ donation. Not many
people who put a sticker on their drivers license to be an organ donor get a chance to
step up to the plate. Or I think of how many do sign up and hope and pray they never
really get called! If my brother had not been willing to give me his bone marrow, I would
not be here today to write this.
There is one last thing for you to know. Many years ago, I did die! I died to myself
and asked Jesus Christ to come and take over my life. Even though I was raised in the
church, I didn't know that I needed to ask Jesus to come into my life until a friend
explained that we each have to make that decision sometime in our life. Romans 10:9,10
says that "if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and
believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the
heart man believes resulting in righteousness; and with the mouth he confesses, resulting
in salvation."
So you see, the Lord is the one who heals whether through a supernatural miracle, or
through the wisdom and knowledge He gave man. The one thing I do know is that God is the
author and giver of life. Give Him your heart and He will share His life with you.
Linda Clark is the wife of Chuck Clark, an Elder of the Vineyard, in Long Beach,
California. They're wonderful people and Linda may be reached at Paraclete2@aol.com
or through Letters@fridaystudy.org
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