By Ruby Goh
Fifteen Years ago, I was diagnosed with diabetes for the very first time at the age of 35. The doctors diagnosed me with LADA (Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults), which is induced by autoimmune responses. Apart from diabetes, I also started to develop hyperthyroid, and because of these two conditions, I was sentenced to a lifetime of taking medication (two tablets a day for my hyperthyroid) and four insulin jabs a day. Because of the amount of insulin I was taking, I also gained about 20 kg, and this caused me joint pains in my knee, especially when I had to climb up the stairs and go up mountains during mission trips. I also had difficulty getting up from the floor at that time.
Over the years, there were times when the condition got quite bad. Not only did the hyperthyroid medication make me feel lethargic, but sometimes I would also experience hyperglycemia due to the insulin jabs. I would have fainting spells, break out in cold sweat in the middle of the night, or feel like I was going into a coma. This happened very frequently, and the doctors initially wanted to put me through some counselling as they were afraid that I would go into depression. Thank God, I have Jesus.
I made some lifestyle changes that included the type and quantity of food I eat. I was cutting down on carbohydrates, desserts, and sugar, but that did not help the condition. I still needed to take a high level of insulin (four jabs) daily.
The doctors also told me I might have an issue with childbearing. There was a possibility that I might have difficulty conceiving, or if I did become pregnant there would be a substantial risk of still birth or even pre-mature delivery due to my diabetes.
Defying the laws of medical science, our mighty God did not just give me a child, but also restored my health years later. I experienced miracle
upon miracle!
The First Miracle - A Child
My husband Samuel and I had committed the right to have children to the Lord very early on in our marriage and had not prayed for a child even though we had been praying for my healing since the first diagnosis.
At the age of 40, I was hosting Pastor Philip Mantofa with my husband when he suddenly turned to us and said, “The Lord is speaking to me about you having a child.” I was sitting at the back seat of the car, and I was laughing in my heart, thinking to myself, “I am so advanced in my years for a woman to conceive, and I also have diabetes which you probably don’t know about.” Then he said, “You’re smiling and laughing just
like a Sarah.”
Half a year later, I miraculously conceived despite being diabetic, and carried my daughter, Angel till full term at 40 weeks. During the pregnancy, I had leg cramps for 1-2 days occasionally, and I would pray, “Central nervous system, you have to obey the command of Jesus” and then it would go. These cramps no longer came back for the rest of my third trimester of pregnancy. God was watching over me!
Today, Angel is eleven years old. The Lord gave us her name because she is to be God’s messenger; her life is a message and a miracle.
One thing never changes – His eyes are always on us.
Free from Hyperthyroid
As the years went by, we continued to pray for healing as a family. Every morning I would pray with my girl, and she would say, “Jesus, I pray that mummy will not need her injections ever again.”
My husband and I continued to travel to China for missions, living life as per normal - serving the Lord, and seeking first His kingdom. We saw that while we were not focusing on my condition, God had not forgotten about me. The Lord wanted to restore what the locusts had eaten and what the enemy was trying to take away – my health.
Believing that God was going to restore my health, we started to build a prayer altar about seven years ago and committed to praying fervently for the reversal of my condition, asking God for the keys to chronic disease. That led to my next miracle - my hyperthyroid was reversed. Gradually, healing took place over a two-year period. When the doctor saw that my condition had normalised, he reduced the dosage of medication I needed from two pills to one pill a day. Eventually, I did not need to take the medication anymore, and have been free from hyperthyroid for the past six years.
No More Insulin
Healing for my diabetic condition on the other hand, took place over 10 years. I was taking over 30 units of insulin per jab when I was first diagnosed, but as we prayed, the dosage would reduce on every visit to the doctor till I was on about four units per jab. About 1.5 years ago, the doctor told me he had checked my C-peptide test and discovered that my body was now producing insulin! Praise the Lord!
The doctor was amazed and asked me what I had done. In response, I said that the only thing I did was pray. My lifestyle changes had been introduced for a long time but there was no change then. Hence, it was Jesus who did it. Now, I no longer need to take insulin jabs; I just need to take an oral medication. I have also lost all the weight I gained from taking insulin over the years and now feel much more energetic at the age of 50 than ever before. Glory to Jesus!
Keeping Our Eyes on Our Father
It is important to know who our God is regardless of our situation - whether it be a chronic disease or any other problem. Our Father in heaven loves us and His eyes are on us.
Many times, we keep looking at our issue. We accept the diagnosis of medical science and worry about what the future will hold rather than keeping our eyes on our Heavenly Father. However, one thing never changes - His eyes are always on us. He takes care of us, and we just need to keep our eyes on Him - keep loving Him and trusting Him. If you are going through difficult circumstances today, I encourage you not to give up! As you pray, the answer may be delayed, but don’t ever doubt that His eye is on you. He will never leave you.