A Day Off the Pain Treadmill

For the LORD Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth.

Psalm 47:2 NKJV

I recently experienced a lovely grace note, which, as you recall, is a little everyday touch of grace that keeps us aware of our Creator’s ongoing interaction in our lives. See, I have two bum knees and am in the queue for bilateral knee replacements. But I can’t stop functioning just because something hurts, right? So, as I was thanking Papa God for His mercies (new every morning!) before attending to some business at the big downtown courthouse, I heard His still small voice speak to my heart, “You won’t have to worry about your knees today.”

What? I stopped short. “Did you really say that, Lord?” I hadn’t even been thinking about my knees.

Then I drove to the courthouse, parked two blocks away in the closest parking garage, and began the quarter-mile trek to my destination. About halfway there, I noticed I was moving along at a pretty fast clip (I’m usually outrun by a slug). And my knees didn’t hurt. At all. I wasn’t tottering side-to-side in the pain-induced orangutan gait I’ve defaulted to in recent years. It had been so long since I walked normally, it felt weird. But absolutely wonderful!

My day included four flights of stairs (up then down), two-plus miles of walking, and nearly an hour of standing (waiting in line). All with no knee discomfort. Unbelievable! When I returned home, the blessing continued. I walked my dog an extra block and danced with my mop after dinner. My knees remained gloriously pain-free all the way to bed!

Were my knees healed? No. The next day I was an orangutan again. It was a one-day blessing. But that’s okay. I’m ENORMOUSLY grateful for my day off the pain treadmill, and I praise Papa God for His surprise mercies when they come.

Why would the Almighty do such a thing? I have no idea! I don’t pretend to understand it, or feel worthy of it, but I’m overflowing with gratitude for all of Papa God’s grace notes.

Prayer: Father, life is beset with pain and hardship. That’s just a fact of living in a fallen world. But it’s also bejeweled with Your sparkling blessings, if we open our spiritual eyes to see them and give our King all the glory. Amen.

Find more devotionals in Debora's book Bless Your Heart. Find it HERE.