During the greatest crises of my life, prayer was essential. In 1964, when I was diagnosed with throat cancer, I made the decision to refuse medical treatment and trust God for healing. After three months, the doctors examined me and insisted prayer had failed. The tumour had grown so large that without an immediate operation, I would soon choke to death.
I stood firm, refusing surgery, and went before the Lord in desperate prayer. While I believed God would heal me, I asked for undeniable confirmation: "Lord, I want to see this in writing."
Initially, I opened to Romans 8:28, "All things work together for good." But I pressed further: "Lord, I don't want comfort; I want a clear answer: yes or no."
The Lord prompted me to read Romans chapter 8 from the beginning. As I read through to the passage describing how the Holy Spirit intercedes for us according to the will of God when we do not know how to pray, revelation broke through. Through the witness of the Holy Spirit, I knew with absolute certainty that God’s answer was yes; and divine healing followed.
The Crisis: A Terminal Diagnosis (1964)
In 1964, I was diagnosed with throat cancer. At this critical juncture, I decided to decline medical treatment and trust God completely for healing.
After three months of prayer, an examination revealed that the tumour had expanded. The medical consensus was urgent: without an immediate operation, the tumour would cause death by suffocation. Despite this warning, I stood firm in faith and returned to deep, focused prayer.
Seeking Direct Confirmation in Scripture
While I believed God could heal me, I requested undeniable confirmation from scripture: "Lord, I want to see this in writing."
First Passage Considered: Romans 8:28 ("And we know that all things work together for good..."). While encouraging, general comfort was not enough – I prayed for a definitive "yes" or "no" answer.
The Direction: A clear prompting led me to read Romans chapter 8 from verse 1 onward.
The Breakthrough: Reading through Romans 8:26-27 – where the Holy Spirit intercedes for believers according to the will of God – brought clear spiritual revelation.
Through the inner witness of the Holy Spirit, I received absolute assurance that God's answer was "yes." Complete divine healing followed.
Questions & Answers
How does Romans 8 address praying during illness?
Romans 8:26–27 explains that when believers do not know what to pray for, the Holy Spirit intercedes with wordless groans according to God’s will, providing divine alignment and spiritual assurance even when physical circumstances seem dire.
What role did scripture play in confirming healing?
Scripture served as the authoritative baseline for God's will. Rather than relying solely on feelings, direct engagement with Romans 8 provided the specific, written confirmation needed to anchor faith against adverse medical reports.