Ministry Moments:
My Patriarchal Blessing
by Lynn Ridenhour
While fellowshipping with our LDS brothers and
sisters, the Lord impressed me to get my patriarchal blessing. So Linda, Lori,
and I made appointments to see the Patriarch. It was the right thing to do.
The old Patriarch knew God, and was right on with each of our blessings.
I know our patriarchal blessings are meant for us and are to be shared
primarily within the privacy of our own homes. I simply share an excerpt…
"I bless you with the power to heal and the gift to be healed. You
will have miracles come into your life as you stay close unto the Lord and be
able to go forward proclaiming far beyond your comprehension now of this
divine work. You will be blessed with the gift of tongues and the
interpretation of tongues that will help you wherever you go in understanding
more completely the gospel of Jesus Christ…"
My family and I had a wonderful time in the old Patriarch’s home that
evening visiting with him and his lovely wife. You could sense the presence of
the Lord. This was a home where Jesus was truly welcome. Of all the hundreds
of blessings he had given over the years, he remarked, "…I have never
given one that mentioned the gift of tongues…"
Of course, the Patriarch was not aware that Linda, Lori, and I each
practiced speaking in tongues. But it’s the part regarding healing that I
want to share.
"I bless you with the power to heal and the gift to be healed…"
Our family loves horses. We have twelve horses and one mule. (Our mule is
smarter than the whole gang.) We love to ride. We love to be around horses. We
love to take care of them. We love horses.
Well, you can’t be around horses every day and not get hurt. Have you
ever had a twelve-hundred pound horse unexpectedly step on your foot?! And you’re
not expecting it. It hurts so much the pain sends cold shivers up your spine.
I’m not complaining. As I said, we love horses.
One day around dusk my daughter and I were riding. She was riding her
favorite horse, Sugar, a jet-black retired thoroughbred, and I was riding my
favorite horse, Titan, a strong and muscled Paint. We were headed to the barn,
relaxing (I was riding bare back) when an animal moved in the shadows and
spooked my horse. He reared. I had hold of his main but he lunged sideways,
and down I went, landing on my back on the hard surface. The ground was hard;
it hadn't rained in ages.
I crushed two discs between L-2 & L-3.
That was four years ago. And I’ve been suffering since; of course, all
the time believing God would heal me. Over these past four years I’ve been
to physical therapy I don’t know how many times, to chiropractors by the
dozen, and have tried certain back exercises to strengthen my spine. Even
acupuncture.
Nothing was working.
At times, the pain was so severe it brought me to tears. There were days
when I could hardly walk. I had to watch carefully how I twisted as I moved in
and out of cars. I could not lift anything over ten pounds. The compression on
my lower spine was too much.
Last week I got angry. I told the Lord, "…Lord, I’m too young to
have my quality of life diminishing like this…" I got up off the couch
and told the Lord, "…I’m going for a walk…" something I hadn’t
done since the accident. I put on my walking shoes and began walking. I walked
and it hurt. It really hurt. But I kept on walking. With the pain competing
for my thoughts, I remembered my Patriarchal Blessing. I remembered the part, "…I
bless you with the power to heal and the gift to be healed…"
It was "…the gift to be healed…" that caught my attention.
As I was walking, with pain shooting up my legs until they both had become
numb, I reached around and laid my right hand on my lower back, and said,
"…Lord, you said I had the gift to be healed. In the name of
Jesus, I speak healing into my lower back. And I command the numbness in these
legs to leave…"
What can I say?
It happened! Right then it happened.
The pain went away. And I’ve lost no range of motion in my spine.
My legs regained their feeling. I’m fine. I’m back at lifting
seventy-pound square hay bales & fifty-pound grain bags & thirty-pound
water buckets. I’m back to riding again! (I no longer ride bare back.) I don’t
need to watch how I get in and out of my pick up truck and cars. I’m walking
two and three miles a day and getting stronger & stronger. I plan to be
back jogging soon.
What can I say?
The pain is gone.
I’m glad the old Patriarch knew God.
