Holy Spirit Story: “The Doctor is Never Going to Believe This” (with Joan Fischer)

Acts 1:8 (NIV)

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

CONSIDER THIS

Today’s Holy Spirit story comes to us from Joan Fischer. Joan is the pastor of Trenton Methodist Church in Trenton, North Carolina. I first met Joan in 2020 when she joined our Pastor’s Fellowship retreat. She credits Jesus for using that fellowship to keep her in ministry through a difficult season. Joan has become my go-to Band match-maker. If someone asks me to help them get into a Discipleship Band (across miles), I connect them to Joan and she works magic. She has started tons of bands. Joan is the real deal. As you would expect, I was thrilled to see this Holy Spirit Story come in. I love her economy of speech. Every word matters. And I especially love stories that involve words like, “The Doctor is never going to believe this!” Below you will read the story in her words and, if you listen, you will hear it in her voice. Listeners will get a bonus today in her telling. 

I was reminded this morning of a time in my daughter’s life. She was an EMT. They were coming back from a call and she was finishing the paperwork. Her partner went through a red light and they were in a horrible accident.

My daughter’s neck and skull were broken.

As I stood outside the area where they were doing the CT scan, I didn’t have words for prayer, so I sang a chorus we had sung in choir.

“I will cast all my cares upon you.
I lay all of my burdens
down at your feet.
And anytime, that I don’t know, just what to do,
I will cast all my care upon
you.”

I sang it over and over.

I became aware that the technicians were talking.

One said, “Hey, are you seeing this? I’ve never seen anything like this. Her bones are going back together.”

The other one said, “You’re right, look, her neck isn’t broken anymore.”

The first one said, “Look at her head, the bone is going back in place. The doctor is never going to believe this.”

Sure enough, the doctor told me that he couldn’t explain what had happened. She had come in with a broken neck and skull, but they’re not broken anymore.

I told him, “It’s God.”

Thanks be to God! Jesus is very near!

THE PRAYER

Father, thank you for this powerful miracle story. Thank you for when we hear EMTs say, “The doctor is never going to believe this.” Thank you for when we hear a medical doctor say, “I’ve never seen anything like this.” Father, forgive us for the ways stop believing in miracles and stop asking for them when we pray so often and do not see them. Awaken our faith to pray anyway and believe even more. Help our unbelief. Thank you for a mother who will sing out loud in the waiting room, casting her cares upon you. Come Holy Spirit, let this story mark us and move us to a deeper, bolder, and more simple faith in the power of God. Praying in Jesus’s name, amen. 

THE JOURNAL PROMPTS

What did you hear and see in today’s story? Can you visualize the bones “going back together”? Can you hear the mother’s song in the waiting room? How does this story increase your faith? How does it impact your unbelief? 

THE HYMN

Today we will sing our Saturday song: “Sanctuary.” We will sing it through twice. 

For the Awakening,
J. D. Walt
Sower-in-Chief
seedbed.com

P.S. LAST CALL: STILL TIME TO GET YOUR EXODUS JOURNAL

There’s still time to order and get your Exodus Journal for the upcoming Wake-Up Call series. Use the code SOWEXODUS and we will send you two for the price of one. Invite a new sower to join us for the series. Link here. 

P.P.S.  Holy Spirit Stories Welcome

I would love it if you would send a story of faith from your life we might use on a Saturday in the future. We will be glad to attach your name or a pseudonym or anonymity—it’s up to you. It can be a story of coming to faith, a story of transformation, a story of healing, deliverance, suffering and sufficient grace, family reconciliation, prodigal returns, answered prayer, and so forth. A word count of 500–800 words works well. We can’t guarantee publication, but we assure you of our prayerful discernment. You can reply to this email with your story and it will come to me.

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