A few years ago when my daughter was only 1 yrs old, she spiked a fever early one morning.  My wife brought her to our room and remarked that Kate was burning up and we were out of Advil or Tylenol.  She would have to go to the store.  She tucked our screaming baby next to me and ventured out for more medicine.  I had been working many hours that week and although I sympathized with my wife going out so early in the morning I wasn't sure who got the better end of the deal. Kate may have had a fever, but her lungs were plenty healthy!  I tried to console my suffering little girl but she would have none of it and screamed all the louder.  I wanted to have faith to have her healed but early in the morning, grumpy, with a screaming baby that couldn't understand or be reasoned with, I couldn't seem to find a whif of faith.  As Kate screamed I became more desperate and determined that I would seek God on the matter and have an answer.  I laid my hand on her and began to pray.  She struggled and screamed all the louder.  I gently maintained contact without resisting her and sought the Lord.  Nothing.  I could sense  nothing!  I prayed, "Surely Lord you can handle a little baby!". I began to sense a trickle of His Presence and I knew that if He was showing up, then he must be answering my prayer, so I decided to thank Him for His Presence and healing.  The very moment I thanked Him, the Power fell.  He is and was awesome!  After just a few moments my relentlessly screaming child was fast asleep, both arms over her head and face to the side, she was the perfect picture of contentment.  Fifteen minutes later my wife arrived with the Advil.  "What happened!"  she asked, knowing our daugher well, she couldn't believe her eyes!  "Well, I prayed for her and the Lord answered", I said.  Wendy stared in amazement and touched Kate's forehead.  "She's still hot".  I said nothing.  "I want to give her the medicine."  "Go ahead", I said, "but she won't need it".  "The Lord will finish what He started".  Three times Wendy came back to me and three times I told her it was ok to give Kate the medicine as far as I was concerned, but she would not need it.  Wendy didn't want to be one of these kooks that deny their children medical care in the name of faith.  I understood her concern, but I also knew the Lord had done a miracle here and I refused to disbelieve Him on the matter.  I stepped into the bathroom and prayed fiercely, "Lord! Vindicate my faith in you!"  Not that Wendy didn't have faith, she does, and I completely understood the quandary she found herself in, but I wanted to believe for the entire healing and see it happen.  Wendy went ahead and gave the medicine.  Before the medicine made it to Kate's belly, the fever was completely gone.  Wendy brought Kate to me to feel her head and take her temperature.  No fever, and there is no way the medicine had time to act.  Glory to God!!  Let me hasten to say that if our children need medicine, we give it to them, but we go to the Lord for healing.  Medicine does not heal.  The Lord heals.  I hope this blog has been a blessing to someone!

Mark Douglass

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