God Interrupts Reality to Meet Our Needs
Has God ever interrupted or bent reality to meet a need? He's done it for me several times, and He did it for the Apostle Paul. In Acts, chapter 28, Paul is bitten by a very poisonous snake, and the Islanders expect him to die; but he's just fine.
On June 13, 2011, at Camp Joshua in Gentry, AR, at about 9:45pm, I went into my pop-up camper to get dressed for bed after having helped Pastor Thomas Hawkins with the object lesson for his message. I sat down with my foot propped up on the bench to remove my right shoe, and felt what seemed like a needle stabbing into my upper leg about 3/4” deep. I felt around the area and couldn't find anything. I continued to get dressed for bed, but the pain did not go away.
When I pulled my pants down, I saw what I believe was a brown recluse spider, about 1 ½” to 2” across. I screamed and batted at it, but it was imbedded into my leg; and I couldn't get it out. I was able to knock off it's round butt that was about 1/2” across and a few of it's legs. The upper body was really stuck into my leg. It was right in the center, towards the inside, at the approximate location of my femoral artery. I think that it was biting me when I sat down; and when the pant leg twisted from my putting it up on the bench, that was what drove it into my body.
I didn't panic, though I was pretty freaked out. I started calling everyone for whom I had cell phone numbers, which ended up being my daughter, her friend Kimberly, Pastor Thomas, and one of the adult leaders, Kelli. When I couldn't reach anyone, I finally left a message with Pastor Thomas. He later said he couldn't understand the message, but he knew I was upset; and he came right up. I called my husband and asked him to pray for me. Pastor Thomas showed up at about the same time. I asked him if he was a first aider. He said he wasn't. I told him that I needed someone who was at least a first aider to help me. He left to get help, and he later told me he was praying for me then.
At that point, my leg had started swelling, getting blotchy, and my foot was tingling. I knew that a spider bite in this location could either mean death or at least a week's hospitalization on heavy-duty antibiotics. I, also, knew that this was just another attack from the Enemy trying to get me to NOT be at camp! I started “pleading the blood of Jesus” over myself – asking God to cover me with the blood of Jesus and to heal and protect me. I, also, rebuked the Enemy and the effects of this attack in Jesus name. Suddenly, I felt a warmth flowing through my body, and I felt God's peace wash over me. At that time the pain markedly decreased.
Kimberly called then, and I told her about the spider. Quite alarmed, she asked me if I was going to be okay? I told her I was going to be just fine – I really knew that I was – that I might have to go to the hospital and be checked out or something; but I was going to be just fine.
A few seconds later Kelli showed up. I got up onto my bed for her to look at the spider. She bent over and said, “Sharron, there's nothing there!”
I reached down and felt. I couldn't feel anything. I looked. I couldn't see anything. We looked on the floor where I'd seen the body parts fall. There was nothing there. Later, I looked in my pants and there was no evidence of a large spider having been squashed in them.
God stepped in and bent reality to meet my need. He took that spider and the attack from the Enemy and made it as if they had never existed. God reached down and saved my life! Obviously, I'm not done working for His kingdom. I have no ill effects from that attack, and I've gotten to share my story, and subsequently pray with many people. I know God will cause this testimony to bless and encourage many. What the Enemy meant for my destruction, God is turning for good!
Praise His Name!
And just think, if He can do this for me, then what can he do for anyone who calls on His Name??
