Is This The End?
It was a normal Friday morning. Wake up, get ready, head to work, and get busy with the Ministry. Except for one thing. My right side and back were burning and hurting like I’d never felt before. It felt like someone had lit a roadside flare and put it inside my rib cage. So I got out of bed and looked in the mirror, expecting to see a bruise or some kind of rash. But there was nothing. Just regular looking skin, and a lot of internal pain.
As I began to process what might be going on, I began to think of all the things that it could be. And the word Cancer invaded my mind and started to try to take control of my spirit. I began to think of all the ways that I needed to get my affairs in order. I didn’t share my deepest fears with my wife, because I didn’t want her to worry. I just told her I was going to the Doc so he could check it out. But deep inside, I felt like this was the beginning of the end.
When I got in the car to drive myself to the Doctor with a very heavy heart, something miraculous happened. Something that only the Creator of the Universe could orchestrate. Because when I started the engine, a song began to play on the radio. And the very first words that I heard come out of those speakers? “This is where the healing begins. This is where the healing starts.” Think of all the songs that could have been playing. But He chose THAT one, at THAT very spot, to speak to me plainly and clearly.
God was letting me know, in a way that I would not be able to miss or mistake, that He was still in control of all things, and that I was going to be ok. Yes, it still hurt. And I would find out through tests over the next couple of weeks that I had Internal Shingles. The pain was still very real, and lasted for more than a year. But in my heart and mind, I knew it was going to be ok. And that He was going to heal me. This was not my end. Not yet.
That still serves as a reminder to me of just how powerful our God is. And that He not only sees and hears us when we call His Name, but he also LISTENS to our hurts, and cares deeply for us. I experienced the “right song at the right time” that morning in my driveway. It took away all of my doubt and fear. I will never forget that calm reassurance from Him…. my Moment of Joy.
Mark Giles
Mark is the General Manager of The JOY FM Alabama and he is on the air there Monday through Friday from Noon till 2:00 PM.