A Faith Journey Continues

This was originally posted in April 2011. Enjoy!

I arrived in Ohio on February 6th and started work on the 14th but couldn't open up an insurance policy until the 28th. Between February 28th and March 25th I was on the phone constantly as I just kept hitting roadblocks that were keeping the cost of my meds up around the $3000 mark. On March 25th I was preparing to send an appeal to Blue Cross but I had an appointment with my new neurologist that morning. I explained the situation and how dire it was. (I had contacted my manager in Colorado in the event that I could not stay here). She took my information and filed the appeal for me Friday afternoon. She said it would take 48 to 72 hours for it to process so because it was Friday we most likely wouldn't hear anything until Tuesday. The weekend passed and I called them Monday morning to remind them how big this was. When the nurse called me back she said that they had responded Monday morning! Excluding the weekend, they had responded in less than 24 hours! We have an amazing God!

This whole situation has been engulfing and I've been thinking a lot about it from many different angles. I've spent $500 out-of-pocket and there were a couple of times hat God brought verses to mind to encourage me. At one point God brought 1 Corinthians 10:13 to mind. "God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape so that you will be able to endure it." The way of escape he would provide amounted to where he would have me go. Whether in Ohio or Colorado, God was in control. One morning I was really down and Satan was trying to discourage me. I knew what he was doing and was combating it with positive talk. That wasn't what was needed. As I tried to convince myself that Satan was wrong I just stopped. "Why am I even thinking about this?" "Get behind me Satan!" Then I started trying to remember verses and God brought to mind Proverbs 3:6 "In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct thy paths." It hit me. The insurance was my "path" and I just had to acknowledge him and let him work. Of course this realization took just a few seconds to come to and as soon as that happened then I remembered verse 5. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart." Again. I was stopped in my tracks. My acknowledging that God was in control was evidence of trust.

Abraham has been a source of inspiration to me over the last few months. When God told him to go he went. His contingency plan was that God would provide. On the mountain with Isaac it was again the same. "God will provide." But let's face it. We really don't know much about Abraham. Sure there are some stories about him in the old testament but by in large we don't know much. However, we know he lived over 100 years. A lot can happen in 100 years! I wonder how many times during that century on earth Abraham had to come up with a contingency plan. We know about a couple of his plans that involved him lying and that didn't go over very well. What about the others we don't know about? I think God was asking me to develop a contingency plan to stay here. After all, He got me here. He took care of the meds and found me a church (.6 miles away from my apartment) all in the first two months of my move.

When I was at the Doctor's appointment on Friday morning the doctor told me that one of the medications I take, Keppra, has a generic form that is no different then the brand name. I was leery about it because I've had bad experience with the generic Dilantin. But since the doctor is very good and knows her stuff I've switched to the generic Keppra. The plus is that the price to get it filled was $4. Not going to argue with that! More importantly though, I've been sticking to the "brand name only" position for a long time. God is asking me to give that to him. It's an area of my life that I really didn't ever think I'd need to give to God. Sounds weird to even say that. Not only is God bigger then insurance companies but he's bigger then generic drugs too! God can protect me with generic drugs just as he has on the brand name. Plus, it has brought my cost per month on the drugs down immensely.

This past week my computer was in the shop so I was journaling the old-fashioned way, with a pen on paper. Weird! As I was sitting on the couch writing about this whole generic thing God again brought a verse to mind. Proverbs 3:5b. "Lean not on your own understanding" . Whoa! My understanding is that generic drugs don't work with me. But what if God knows something I don't? Who am I kidding? H created the mind that created the generic drug!

In Judges 8:27 Gideon has beaten the Midianites with just 300 men. An amazing story! I heard it in Sunday School growing up but I never heard this:

"And Gideonmade an ephod of it and put it in his city,^(B) in Ophrah. And all Israel^(C) whored after it there, and it became a^(D) snare to Gideon and to his family."

I had to look up the word ephod. It was an apron that the priest would wear but it was also an object that was worshiped. An idol. I heard a pastor say once that you worship what you focus on. For Gideon and his family it was an idol. Is it which kind of drug I should take for me? Would I stoop that low? I did. The generic verses brand name was too much of a focus and would've become a real snare. Inevitably I wouldn't have been able to see God work. He is working and will continue to!