On October 20th, I celebrated six months of recovery since my Hip Revision Surgery! It has been an amazing journey. My surgeon told me it would take a year to recover from the surgery if all went well. He warned us there could be setbacks and difficult, life altering consequences resulting from the surgery. I had to cancel my whole Spring Revival Schedule and accept the fact I would be limited in my preaching for several months! Our world was rocked by this news, but bless God, we were standing on the Rock!! My surgery lasted over 5 hours and I spent four days in the hospital. I had to use a walker for three months. I completed four months of physical therapy, and I am now five weeks without the use of a cane. I had a set back because I strained the ligaments in one of my knees. I sometimes grew impatient. It was frustrating because I was not able to drive for three months, restricted in my activities and limited in my preaching. However, Angie faithfully and joyfully cared for me while taking the full load of our day to day activities and devoting her whole summer off from school teaching to help me in my recovery. She is my rock and prayer warrior! Looking back over this time, Angie and I can testify to the truth of Romans 8:28. During this time of testing and trusting, not every event has been good, but the Lord Jesus Christ has worked all things together for our growth and good, and for His glory! Each step of the way from last December, when I received the call that my Cobalt test came back significantly higher, to this very morning, our Heavenly Father has proved Himself Faithful to us! As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:7," For we walk by faith, not by sight". Angie and I trusted the LORD to guide and provide as we claimed Psalms 27:14,Romans 8:28, Philippians 4:4-19,and 1 Peter 5:5-7. HE DID!!! The LORD provided the everything we needed from the doctor to perform the surgery, the date to have the surgery, and the blessing of healing grace since the surgery. The LORD has met our every need in ways that only He can do! We have not gone without anything despite not being able to preach the revival meetings in the Spring and limited preaching over the Summer and Fall. He is Jehovah-Jireh!! Looking back, I can't hardly believe how fast the time has gone by, and we give witness to the fact of His Amazing Grace! I have been preaching a limited revival schedule this Fall as well as serving as the Interim Pastor of Antioch Baptist Church, Stigler, Oklahoma for nearly two years. The Interim Pastor opportunity came in the providence of God too! I thought I would serve for four Months from mid- November 2016 to March 2017. However, the Church voted to make the arrangement open ended and encouraged me to stay on until the Lord provided them with their mew pastor! They allowed me to preach all my conferences and revival meetings in 2017. They have faithfully loved and ministered to us during this whole time of surgery and recovery. Unless, the LORD sends them their pastor, we plan on being with them until the end next Spring. We are accepting assignments to preach revivals too. Only the LORD could have orchestrate all these circumstances! Thank you for your prayers and encouragement! I am reminded of a song sang by the Happy Goodman Family, "I wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now" because that describes how I feel in my heart! God brought us to it and He is bringing us through it for His Glory! This is the joy of the journey my fellows pilgrims! Keep running the Race and keep looking away unto Jesus(Hebrew 12:1-3)! The joy of the journey!
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Doug MillerEvangelist Archives
May 2021
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