My Story|God healed my back

My name is Krystal and I wanted to share the story of how God healed me. I'm 33 years old and I'm a follower of Jesus. I've been going to Anchor Church since I was 8 years old and now I run the church website and lead a small group at the church.

My Story

Flipping back in my phone calendar of chiropractor appointments, I started to have some trouble with my back in September. We started making cupcakes in the bakery where I work (Costco) and to ice them, it takes some bending over the table to reach. I think that started straining my back. What put it over the edge is sleeping wrong. I fell asleep watching a show all propped up weird because I can sleep anywhere in any different angle. I can fold up on a seat on an airplane like 10 different ways to sleep. If I'm tired, I will find a way to sleep!

Anyways, I woke up in sharp pain ever since that morning. It was in my upper back. I tried ignoring it, but it even effected my breathing. Getting out of bed and getting dressed in the morning was so painful that I dreaded going to sleep because I woke up in a bad pain every morning. I've never had a pain like this before. As the day would go on, the pain would go away but I would have an irritating pressure throughout the day. I would stretch on the oven handle at work in the bakery or hang from the freezer door to try and relieve pressure. It didn't go away, so I went to the chiropractor twice a week, which was an extra hour long drive out of my way so that part wasn't fun either.

I kept thinking it was better, but every morning after I would get it adjusted, I would wake up in even more pain and have to take an ibuprofen, which I don't take unless I'm sick or have bad pain. Usually, going to the chiropractor worked, but whatever was wrong with my back kept greeting me every morning. I asked ChatGPT if there was anything I could do to help. It said to stretch, so I would stretch before bed. Running hot water in the shower on my back would work for a little bit, along with my heated seats in my car on my hour drive to work. But, no matter what I tried was only temporarily working.

A month and a half went by still waking up to the sharp pain in my upper back...

Then, one Sunday morning something happened.

I went to church, like I always do on Sundays, and during the first half of the service I was leaning on the pew in front of me trying to relieve the pressure in my back. It was annoying me so much and I was starting to worry if this was my new normal. I did have mild scoliosis around the area it was hurting so I just thought it probably caught up to me. I listened to the sermon. It was about Jesus healing the demon possessed boy. The disciples weren't confident enough in their faith to heal the boy so Jesus came and healed him. Then, the last song started playing. The prayer warriors, we call them, came up front. They usually make themselves available in case anyone needs prayer. I saw them come up and for the first time I had the idea to go up there for prayer over my back.

I ran the idea in my head again, but my thoughts were talking me out of it. I've prayed for over my own back so if God wanted to heal it, wouldn't He have done it? I didn't have to go up front for prayer to be healed, I could just do it right in the pew, right?

But something inside me, the Holy Spirit, nudged me to go up front anyways. So I did. I've preached before and was up front on stages every week so I don't have a problem going up front, but I never go up for prayer usually. I was never nudged until that day.

I told the group of prayer warriors what was going on with my back and they gathered around me. They had their hands laid on me and one of the ladies ran their hand up my spine and I straightened up. I stayed still because I didn't want to interrupt the prayers but I felt the pressure go away and almost a comforting feeling go over the area where I was having trouble. After the prayers I rotated my back. The pressure was gone and the sharp pain was gone. I could tell it could have been still maybe "off" but I was relieved in that moment!

On the way home, I started questioning the healing. I tried remembering if I took an ibuprofen that morning or not. Maybe it kicked in while I was at church? But then why did my pressure and pain stop in that exact moment of prayer. That would be too much of a coincidence. I brushed it off and continued to believe I was healed.

Once I got home, I was tired so I decided to make a cup of mid day coffee. I started the pot and as I stood there, doubt started coming back again. I was like, what if my back gets bad again the next morning? That's when it really hurts. It's always the mornings that give me those shoots of pain that take my breath away. I started to worry.

That's when I seen my little Jesus Calling calendar on the counter next to my coffee station. It was a day off so I flipped the calendar over to read the devotional of the day. I love Jesus Calling devotionals because they are based on Scripture, but are worded in the context of Jesus speaking the words directly to you like a letter.

After reading the first line, my faith grew a few sizes larger.

The first line read, "Come to Me when you are hurting and I will soothe your pain." Thats when I KNEW I was healed.

The next morning I might have felt a little stiffness, but no pain in my back!!! I woke up and didn't have to struggle getting ready for work! I didn't have that happen in months! I went to work and shared what happened with my coworkers! One of the ladies at work, who is a pastor's wife, told me she had a similar healing happen to her as well!

On my break, I called my chiropractor and cancelled my appointment. Not only that, I didn't schedule another one. I knew I didn't need it anymore!

A couple weeks passed. My back had a tad of stiffness, but nothing serious! There was a pastoral conference/meeting I go to every year in Lansing, and after that was over, I went further north to the Detroit area to visit my friend, since I was close to her. While I was there, I went to her church. Her church was cozy and the worship was great. The worship continued, even though it was supposed to end. The pastor came up and invited those who needed healing come up and raise their hands. Then we all gathered around them to pray for healing for them. I was tempted to raise my hand because I still had that tad of stiffness that returned here and there, but I didn't because I still believed I was healed all ready.

I did lay hands on others to pray over them. I prayed that they would be healed and I thanked God for healing me. I did add a little side note about the stiffness a felt sometimes, but I kept believing through it.

The next morning, the stiffness felt like it faded away slightly. I was exited that that the service that was supposed to have a couple songs, a sermon, and an ending song, turned into a 3 hour healing service because maybe that's what my back needed to not only be pain free, but maybe my scoliosis would disappear as well! I haven't gotten my back X-rayed again to find out if that is the case, but as I'm sitting down typing this post, I can now say, my back is totally normal! No pain! No stiffness! No pressure! It's so easy to doubt. It's so easy to give excuses explaining being healed with science or medicine. It's so easy to worry if God alone will heal and keep you healed. But whenever that enters your mind, kick it out faster than a hiccup. Don't let it fester in your mind and soul because it will weaken your faith.

Maybe you need healing. Maybe you shot up a few prayers to be healed. God can heal that way, but if you read the stories of when Jesus healed those who were sick, they had to take an action step first before they were healed. The lepers were healed AS they went to show themselves to the priests to declare them healed. The women had to push through a crowd to touch the hem of Jesus' clothes before she was healed. The commander of the army, Naaman, had to dunk himself in the Jordan River seven times before he was healed of his skin disease (leprosy). If he only dunked six times, he wouldn't have seen a change.

You also need to come to Jesus with a clean heart to be healed. If you have unforgiveness towards anyone, hate, sin, or pride, those things keep us from the healing power of God. God DESIRES to heal us. He never wanted sin or pain to even exist in the world, but human nature decided to take over and disobey God by bringing it into our world by taking a bite of that fruit in the Garden of Eden, even though God said to stay away from it.

Satan thought he won, but Jesus chose to give up His life so we could one day have an eternal life without pain. Without hate. Without shame. Without doubt. Jesus forgave us from making sinful decisions, so we are to forgive others. When we come before Him to be healed, we are telling God, He is all we want and He is the One we trust to heal us. We are coming to Him empty, so He can fill us with His healing power. It's NOTHING for God to heal us. It's a huge deal to us though. It really is up to us. God is always ready to heal, but our hearts aren't always ready to be healed by Him.

Has God healed you or answered any of your prayers? Make sure to thank Him and share your story with others! This is your opportunity to share Jesus and maybe even pray over someone who needs it. We would love to hear any story you all have, if you don't mind sharing!