Banner Of Victory
“Having Lyme Disease is the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
Your first thought to this statement is probably, “Said no one ever!” A friend who had Lyme Disease, and had recognized the symptoms, knew I had it before my diagnosis. She and her husband had fought this horrible disease on and off for over twenty years, and here she was saying to me she would not be who she is today had she not fought the battle.
In The Valley
When I first heard these words, I can tell you, I did not agree. I was deep in the valley. I wanted God to end the suffering and nothing in me could understand how this could one day be the best thing that ever happened to me.
When I began studying the 14th letter of the Hebrew Alphabet, the nun נ, it brought me back to this low point in my life. The nun נ has a value of 50 and means servant, soul, banner of victory, fall, faithfulness, and more. It still amazes me how one letter can have so many meanings, but yet they all tie together.
God Can Rescue You
One meaning you see here is fall, like falling into a low place. Those places where only God can rescue you, a place where I was with Lyme Disease. In the valley, God’s faithfulness prevails. He revives our soul, delivers us from the pit of despair, and gives us victory.
When my friend shared that Lyme Disease was the best thing that ever happened to her, I wanted more than anything to be on the other side of the disease and believe the same for myself. The journey was far from over and I was struggling. Many times I had begged God to take it all from me, to let me be the mom and wife I wanted to be, not the burden I felt I had become. I wanted to take my kids shopping and not have to have them push me in a wheelchair, and I wanted to go to their concerts and not embarrass them as the mom who needed a cane. The need for normalcy grew each day. I wanted my kids to remember me as the strong marathon runner I once was, not this broken and weak soul. Notice where my focus was… on I. Not how God would use this for His glory.
God Spoke
One day when I was alone and grieving the life I once had, I heard God speak crystal clear to me, “That is not who I want you to be.” My first thought was, this is what you want? This broken and useless body? I grappled with this for a long time.
Now on the other side, after experiencing medical and divine healing, I consider myself 90% healed. God had to come into my shattered heart and do a lot of work. I had to allow Him to do what the Kaph כ teaches us, to bend and mold my heart (read about the kaph here).
God Will Deliver You
He delivered me from that pit of despair. He allowed me to get there, but He was not willing to leave me there. I do not have the strength I once had as an endurance athlete (yet), but I have the Lord’s strength as He walks with me daily. In the healing, He also revived my soul. His faithfulness never failed and now I wave that banner of victory over myself and praise God, He did not forget me.
“He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along” (Psalm 40:2 NLT).
Am I ready to say that Lyme Disease was the best thing that ever happened to me? Not yet. But I am so thankful for the changes He made in my heart and how much closer I am to Him today because of the trials.
Anyone who has ever experienced chronic disease, loss of a loved one, divorce, or any pain that has brought you to this low point where you feel you will never crawl out of knows this depth of despair.
If you are still in that place, I want to encourage you with this letter, the nun נ, that also represents the supernatural. It is by God’s grace and supernatural strength that He will pull you out of the pit and stand you on the rock stronger than you could ever have imagined.
Healing And Restoration
If you have experienced restoration from this low place. Let’s praise God together and say thank you that He is all powerful, all knowing, and all merciful. He is the mighty healer and deliverer. Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness. Together, let’s wave the banner of victory. In your healing and restoration, I hope you see how God delivered you from the situation. Don’t miss the miracle in it. Rest and rejoice in the freedom.
We cannot stop here. We cannot keep this to ourselves. He restored you for a purpose. You are a living testimony to the goodness of God. You are a physical testimony to the miraculous work He has done in your life. Let people know your story, no matter how insignificant you may think it is. Tell them of the mighty work He has done in your life.
“And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony” (Revelation 12:11 NLT).
We just have to take a brief look through scripture to find the many people that were at their low points and God lifted them up and brought forth the miraculous.
A Man After God’s Own Heart
David was a man after God’s own heart, and yet he made so many mistakes. He took Bathsheba, another mans wife, laid with her and then to not get caught had her husband killed. David realized the horrible sin he committed and lost the first child he had with Bathsheba. But God did not leave them there. He blessed them with another child, Solomon, who God chose as the next king of Israel and the Messiah came through their lineage. (Read the story in 2 Samuel 11 and 12).
Kinsman Redeemer
Look at Ruth, who lost her husband and sons. She was left alone with her mother-in-law, Naomi. They were two women in a land where women had no status or security without a man. God took her loss and restored her with her kinsman redeemer. (Read her amazing story in the book of Ruth).
Banner Of Victory
Most of all, look at Jesus, the ultimate servant. He lived a life of complete humility. Jesus experienced every trial and temptation that we have. He took on all of our pain and took it to the cross where He, an innocent man, died for our sins. But He did not stay in the grave. By His death and resurrection, He saved our souls, and He waves the banner of victory over the grave.
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What a story of hope and redemption. I can look back over my life at some low times and see that God has never let me down yet. Happy to hear you are almost back to 100%!
Thank you. Praise God that He never lets us down.