I have mentioned before how my daughter was born with TOFS. During my pregnancy and her surgery, it took a lot of strength to stay strong in the Lord and not get swept away by fear.
The best surgeon in the country had operated on her – he was over 6 feet tall and had massive hands, I was astounded how he managed to work on such tiny little humans. He operated between her third and fourth ribs too! I had prayed that Jesus do the operation Himself and that He used the Doctors to assist in the op. I take “not looking to man but Jesus” very seriously.
After the operation the surgeon came to me and said that it was quite a tight operation and he really had to pull tissue to ensure closure. His words were, “I’m not actually sure if this is going to take. We will only be able to tell in 2 weeks’ time. She will need to be transferred to Red Cross Childrens’ hospital in Cape Town if this does not take.”
Fear almost got the better of me but I know the serious consequences of accepting something that does not line up with God’s Word or counteracts my faith for what I had been praying for. I had prayed for three hours before the op and for three hours during the op, and that Jesus do the op Himself. There are no mistakes with Jesus. I truly believed that He did a perfect work, and always has.
As soon as the surgeon left my hospital room, I came against all negative words spoken by him, and rejected them in the name of Jesus. Every tongue that rises against me in judgment I will condemn! (Isaiah 54:17). I pleaded the blood of Jesus over my daughter and her operation and proclaimed the truth of Jesus’ perfect work.
A year later we moved back to Johannesburg. TOFS kids are prone to having food getting stuck in their throat at the site of the operation, due to a narrowing, which then requires dilation whereby the child is anesthetized and a scope is put down the throat while the paediatric surgeon removes the piece of food lodging the throat. A chick pea got stuck in Jordan’s throat, which I should have mashed up. But this turned out for God’s glory to prove to me and my family how beautiful His handiwork is.
When Jordan came out of the dilation, the paediatric surgeon said to me that it all went well and asked, “who operated on her oesophagus? Out of all my years as a surgeon, the operation on her oesophagus is the most perfect and beautiful work I have ever seen done.”
Yee-hah!
Awesome and wonderful handiwork. There was a shift from doubt to perfection.
I don’t like to accept the negative prognoses and diagnoses from doctors. Doctors are a wonderful blessing from God. They have a degree (and a thousand times more clever than me!) but we are in the world but not of it (John 15:19) and serve a God that reigns on a throne! Declare the wonderful works of the Lord instead! (Psalm 118:17)