Numbness of Hands and Arms
In 1986 I brought my family out of Mexico to the border of the U.S.. We were required to leave the country of Mexico every 6 months for about 72 hours because of visa regulations. We stayed the first night in a motel in the border city of McAllen, TX.
At about 10 P.M., the family was asleep. I decided to watch a little TV. I had been having trouble with numbness in my hands and arms, especially while trying to sleep. This had been a problem for a few months. The little fingers would be numb, yet almost painful. This numbness continued up both arms. While it was semi-serious, I was not thinking about it at that night.
The TV program I tuned to was an interview with missionary-statesman T.L. Osborn. At the end of the program, the host asked T.L. to pray for the viewers. As he began to pray, I joined in with my hands raised. He prayed for people who might have various diseases and conditions. I had no thought of myself at this moment. Nor was I aware of any personal ailment.
Suddenly, with my hands still raised, I felt something like a surgical instrument enter both thumbs. There was no pain, but I felt wires enter the tips of my thumbs on both hands. They went in about 4 inches then began to rapidly move back and forth several times as if removing a blockage. Either I could not move or didn't want to move but, in any case, I did not move through this entire “procedure”. After the wires or whatever they were stopped moving, I felt them being removed from my hands. They were pulled out of my thumbs. I felt the instruments being pulled about 4 inches until they were completely out. That's it. I thought that it was one of the strangest things I have ever experienced (to that point). I went to bed.
I woke up in the morning. I immediately noticed that my hands and arms were not numb. It had not been very noticeable during the daytime but there would always be pain and numbness in the mornings. That was almost 40 years ago. There is no arm numbness to this day.
“But, Brother Dave, what does it mean?”
I don't have any idea. Except one thing: Dr. Jesus does good work.
I don't want to analyze something to death but people do wonder about things like this.
[Jesus'] name through faith in His name.( Acts 3:16)
The power is in Jesus' name. Our connection is through faith in His name. Normally, one must believe that the will of God is to heal, until we know, beyond any doubt, that it is God's will to heal me (and others). This is not trying to convince ourselves of something we know is not true until God and we and everybody else is talked into it. Rather, it is a quiet confidence that the Word of God is true.
I say normally because we all have heard the stories about some drunk that is staggering past the tent where an evangelistic meeting is going on. He gets hit by the power of God and is changed. God still reserves the right to be God whether we approve or not. This apparent “randomness” gives rise to the philosophy that says that God's works are arbitrary and therefore we cannot be held responsible for anything. God is all-powerful yet He does fault men for not having faith. (John 3:18, Matt 17:20)
T.L. Osborn had a gift and faith.
Probably no one in all human history has preached to and prayed for more people than Dr. Osborn. That is no exaggeration. Never mind that you have not heard of his ministry. Things do happen beyond the borders of the U.S.
There are 2 ways to receive from God: through Faith and by Grace. Of course, everything we might receive from God is by grace, but sometimes a person seems to receive something from the Lord apart from faith at the moment. This also gives fuel to the idea that God is impulsive and therefore we cannot be held responsible for anything. God will often have mercy on a baby Christian but He will eventually require faith, even from the person that initially receives from a grace gift.
How can one person have all these things happen to him?
I have watched some programs where a person is telling about supernatural things. They have an angel appear to them several times per day. They visit heaven at least every afternoon. Jesus and they go fishing all the time and hang out and throw rocks in the lake. Really?
I ask myself, How can one person have all these things happen to them? The ring of truth does not seem to be there. I want to be the last person that would call someone else a liar, but I can't help but have a huge red question mark painted over this person's image in my mind.
I sometimes look over my website with many essays and articles about strange occurrences. I wonder, Do people think that about my stories?
I probably have hundreds of stories. If I take an hour and tell stories it will seems like I live in a state of special, constant manifestation every day. I can tell one event and hook it to another one then another one. After 30 or 45 minutes a hearer may think that I float several inches above the ground and live in a constant thundercloud of glory and lightning.
Well, these are true events which have taken place over a period of 50 plus years. Sometime I will go literally years between significant happenings. When I tell of things that I witnessed in Mexico, people are amazed. It sounds as though special miracles happen every day. (In reality, it was about every week or two.) In 1985 I knew if I went to Mexico that I would see the glory of God. I was not disappointed. But what people do not realize is that the majority of the time it was grinding out daily life in a third world country. However, it was worth it; to occasionally see the grace of God up close.
Walk with God.
We are all on a journey. This lifetime is full of natural things and an opportunity to walk with God. Everyone must be born again but how we walk with the Holy Spirit after we receive eternal life can vary from person to person. It is God's choice and our response to Him as well. One person's spiritual walk can differ greatly from another person's walk. Weird is not how we determine if something is valid. Many of us use ourselves to judge if something is from God or not (2 Cor 10:12).
Someone has seen an angel.
“I didn't see an angel. Therefore it cannot be true.”
Someone says they visited heaven.
“I never was taken to heaven. Therefore it cannot be true.”
Someone has a testimony of a miraculous healing.
“I was never healed. Therefore it cannot be true.”
This is the height of arrogance: to judge another person's reality by my own experience or lack thereof. It goes a little further. The depth of conceited arrogance is:
“If (such and such a piece of knowledge) were true, God would have told me about it. He did not. Therefore it cannot be true.”
How can you argue with logic like that?
All things work together for good.
No, they do not.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Rom. 8:28)
Suppose I decide to commit adultery against God and against my wife. Is that working together for good? My unregenerate desires and the schemes of the devil are working, however. And it's not for good. Its purpose is to destroy many people's lives.
However, we can be assured that even terrible things are working for good...”to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Are you dedicated to His purpose? Align yourself with evangelism, ministry to Israel, missions, and the poor (with an emphasis on the Gospel message.) Make sure you place yourself in direct line with the things that are on God's heart.
Apr. 12, 2023