Pain in the neck
It was 3am on Friday morning and I woke up with excruciating pain in my neck! The pain was so intense that it caused me to vomit. Anxiety started to set in. I began to pace my living room in total darkness. My mind started to wonder. I had just received a deep tissue massage that evening around 9pm. “What the heck did I do to my neck?” I thought. “Could this be permanent damage…why does it hurt so bad…why can’t I move my neck?” Every move I made I felt pain! This was pain like no pain I HAVE EVER felt before. I woke my husband up, we prayed. Praying was the only thing I knew to do to get me through this. Shortly after that, I asked God to reveal something to me, words of encouragement…the verse Luke 14 came to my mind. Keep in mind I NEVER read this verse before…I quickly opened my bible app on my phone and the first thing I read was “Healing of a man on the Sabbath”, without even reading the verse I knew that meant I was going to be ok!!! I read the verse and it was about Jesus healing a man, despite it being the Sabbath. The next thought that came to my mind was that I needed to praise him even though I don’t understand what is happening to me. I listened to Casting Crowns “praise you in this storm” 3 times. Ironically when I lifted my hands in praise, my pain was gone. Shortly after that I looked down at my phone for the daily verse and it was Isaiah 41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
The following day I went to see my PCP, it was a pinched nerve! He prescribed some muscle relaxers and said I should be better in 3 days. A good friend came over to pray for me, she reminded me of Satan’s work on this earth. It hit me…this was an attack on me. For some of you reading…I know what you are thinking? Come on Christy…do you really think the Devil or Satan caused this “pinched nerve”. Well, let me share with you what I do know about Satan so hang in there with me.
1 Peter 5:8-9 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith
John 10:10 The thief (or Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. These are just two verses that speak to me. It’s important to note that the evil works of the enemy are mentioned throughout the entire bible, over and over again. The title “Satan” occurs 53 times in 47 verses in the Bible. Why would a loving God even allow these evil works on this earth? Bile.org http://bible.org/article/satanology says it perfectly, “To reveal God’s glory, Satan was created as the shining one, the morning star, and, having foresight of what Satan would do, God elected to create Satan and to use the blackness of his sin to reveal His divine essence only more emphatically. What is it that makes the stars shine at night? It is the darkness. In fact, to see their beauty in the clearest fashion, one needs to get away from the manmade lights of the city. It is the darkness that allows them to shine.”
So, if you truly imagine the devil as a “roaring lion” waiting to steal all your happiness, joy, peace of mind and beliefs, then you will quickly understand why so many people fall to sin and failure. Maybe it’s a pain in the neck, loss of a job, family drama, cancer, or an unhappy marriage, know all of it is part of Satan’s bigger plan to “steal, kill and destroy”.
I think it’s important to note that you must take responsibility for your own actions. You cannot live life solely blaming the devil for your problems. However, it is the root of all evil.
Sunday morning I woke up feeling so much better. Could it be that God was telling me in Luke 14 that I would be better by Sunday??? Despite what the interpretation of that verse was telling me, I’m thankful that I serve a loving God that I can turn to when I have a “pain in the neck”, where do you turn???
