Thus Saith the Lord

The Lord will speak to us in so many ways - the question is, are we listening? God has given us His Word and the Holy Spirit will bring that word to light in our hearts. In fact, multiple sources say that the phrase, "Thus saith the Lord," appears over 400 times in the King James Version of the Bible.  Jesus taught in John 10:
27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

Cameron Cortman is now 24 years old, and due to what was thought to be an ear infection at the age of one, he may not have been alive. The story is told at the CBN website.  He is quoted as saying: “I got sick with an ear infection in the hustle and bustle of moving,” adding, “My mom took me to the doctor. She thought it was just a routine ear infection. I had been getting them a lot lately.”  The article goes on to say:

But Cortman’s mom felt deep in her gut that something else was going on. In fact, after the doctor prescribed antibiotics, she paused to share something she experienced on the way to his office.

“[She said], ‘Actually, on the way over here, the Lord spoke to me and told me that something is seriously wrong and that we need to go to the hospital,’ which is just a wild thing to say to a doctor,” Cortman recounted. “But, thankfully … the doctor was a Christian and he said, ‘Who am I to really argue with the Lord? So we can send you to the hospital.'”

CBN continues to relate the story:

“They start to run pretty much every test imaginable, and they come back a few hours later and say, ‘We’re so sorry, 95% of your son’s blood cells are leukemia. He probably won’t make it through the night,'” Cortman said.

The shocking news, which upended the family’s lives, confirmed everything his mother had felt.

“As you can imagine, it’s just a mix of utter disbelief, and shock, and starting to grieve, and really just confusion of what to do,” Cortman said. “And I think you kind of immediately go into a mode of, ‘OK, let’s figure out next steps.'”

So, as a 1-year-old, Cameron Cortman began chemotherapy.  The family trusted God and prayed through four years of treatment.  Then, the cancer disappeared.  Cameron calls it "miraculous," and says: 

“What’s crazy about that situation — other than the fact that I was completely cured from cancer — is they said to my parents, ‘Although he is cancer free, he’s not out of the woods. So there is a very good chance that he’s not able to speak like everyone else would. He might not be able to walk. He might not be able to talk,'” Cortman said, noting these dire effects could have come from the chemotherapy.

Cameron went on to play collegiate sports and now works in marketing for a Christian media company. His parents' reaction to his illness provided a strong source of inspiration for him.  He says:

“So much of my faith … I credit to them because I think most people in situations like that, it’s very easy for them to turn against God, turn against each other,” he said. “The fact that they relied on God through that and then came out on the other side stronger … their marriage is still very strong and that their faith is still very strong — I don’t think that I would have the same faith that I have today had they not responded the way they did through that whole journey.”

But, keep in mind, the journey really began with what seemed to be a doctor's appointment to treat an ear infection.  Cameron's mother experienced one of those "Thus saith the Lord" moments.  Whether it was audible or just a prompting in her spirit, she knew that God was speaking to her about her son's condition. 

Not only did she hear, but she listened and acted on what she had heard, boldly asking the doctor for additional testing, which revealed Cameron's leukemia.  

We may not hear the audible voice of God, but we know that God is always speaking. His primary mode of communication is the Bible, the Word of God - but as we study and meditate on Scripture, the Holy Spirit will show us ways in which the Word can apply to our own lives.  The word, "quicken" has been used to describe the experience of a verse or passage essentially jumping off the page and into our hearts, our spirits, which are connected to the Holy Spirit because we know Jesus. 

There will also be instances in which we can discern what is described as a "still, small voice" that will guide us in our decision-making.  We may not know literal words, just a sense of knowing the right thing to do, or perhaps avoiding something harmful.  God speaks to us through our conscience, that knowledge of right and wrong.  Some relate having a "check" in their spirit - the experience of God directing us to walk in a different direction, perhaps.  And, we can also be intent on allowing God to speak to us through the proclamation of truth - at Faith Radio, we desire to be a conduit through which God will speak to you: through solid Bible teaching throughout the day and uplifting music that can draw you into His presence, we hope that you will have a greater sense of God's work in your life.