by Doreen Lau
Many miracles of healing performed by Jesus Christ were linked to faith. Throughout the Bible, Jesus said, “your faith has healed you” several times, including to a woman suffering from a haemorrhage for 12 years. She had come up behind Jesus, touched the hem of His garment and been healed.
Jesus turned and saw her, “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” (Matthew 9:22 NIV)
He spoke similar words when He healed blind Bartimaeus who was seated by the roadside. On hearing that Jesus was passing by, Bartimaeus cried out desperately, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”
Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” (Luke 18:42 NIV)
The Bible also tells us that if we have faith as small as a mustard seed, we can move a mountain. (Matthew 17:20 NIV). Nita Edwards’ faith is definitely bigger than a mustard seed. Her miraculous healing stumps sceptics but certainly affirms that miracles are linked to faith, even in this modern era.
Nita Edwards’ Miracle
Nita Edwards was an active athlete with several trophies under her belt when an accident on the stairs to her dormitory totally paralysed and confined her to a wheelchair. For more than a year, she wasted away physically and emotionally in a Sri Lankan hospital, with no hope of recovery. A sneak preview of her medical records showed that all her doctors had given up on her recovery, accepting the fact that she would never walk again or leave the hospital alive. When she finally realised that death was slowly creeping up on her, she convinced her mother to allow her to live her final days away from the hospital. Unknown to everyone, Nita decided that she would put her trust in Jesus Christ to heal her, now that the doctors had given up on her.
With the aid of her private nurse, Nita moved into an apartment where there would not be any doctor to call nor a bell to ring for someone to come to her aid in an emergency. The first thing she did was to ask her nurse to flush all her medicines down the toilet! “If God is going to heal me, I do not want the medicines to steal His glory,” she explained. Without the medicines, Nita’s pain increased and prayers were her only remedy. As she prayed and listened to God, she unburdened her heart, growing closer to Him. She submitted completely to God, asking Him to heal and use her or take her home.
One day, feeling sad and unable to sleep after bidding farewell to her best friend, she suddenly heard a man’s voice, saying in a powerful tone, “I’m going to raise you to make you a witness to Asia. I’m going to heal you on Friday, 11th February.” Nita was startled and her heart pounded. She wasn’t sure she heard the promise correctly or whether she was dreaming. The voice came from behind her and she couldn’t see if there was anyone in the room. She had to be sure. So she boldly prayed, “Lord, I have heard this voice. If it is yours, I want a confirmation. I want to hear the promise again in public. Let other people hear it too.”
It was an impossible request, especially since Nita had never left the apartment before. She didn’t mention the incident to anyone, never hinted that she had heard from God or that she was seeking confirmation. Then unexpectedly, her brother, Ted, sent her a collapsible wheelchair from England. Now it was possible for Nita to move around and to attend the dedication ceremony of Pastor Colton’s new church building. Initially, Nita had declined the invitation to attend the dedication ceremony. She was reluctant to be wheeled into a brand new church building with 1,400 people peering at her broken body. But she couldn’t disappoint Pastor Colton and his family who had been so kind and caring during her long stay in the hospital. Nita eventually agreed reluctantly. Colton graciously arranged for her to arrive early so that Nita could be placed in the choir loft away from the prying eyes of the public. Before the service, Colton introduced her to the guest speaker, Syvelle Phillips, a major voice of the Full Gospel movement.
During the service, a message in tongues cut through the service suddenly, arresting the attention of everyone assembled there. As the last sounds echoed through, Syvelle Phillips lifted his voice and began to interpret the message. He declared, “God will raise you to be witness to all of Asia. His word to you is true. Trust Him. He will not lead you astray. He will glorify Himself through you.” Nita’s heart leapt with joy. Here was God’s confirmation before 1,400 people, honouring her request to hear it in public. They were the very words God had said to her.
On the momentous day of her healing, at 3.30 p.m. on 11th February 1977, Nita chose a few people to witness the miracle: her mother; Pastor Colton, his wife and his youngest son; two woman doctors; and Colton’s secretary. They were told to gather for a prayer session and had no inkling what was going to happen.
At the exact time, the power and glory of God burst into the room, flooding the tiny space with the bright light of a noonday sun. Nita’s bed began to vibrate with the energy of God’s presence and she felt His unfathomable love for her. Then she felt His touch. The chains of her paralysis snapped, she got out of bed, landed on her knees and felt the sensation of the cold, hard floor for the first time. The divine warmth of the touch of the Lord had awakened her body to feel again. Her knees had not been bent in over a year, and now they were bent before her. Her hands, useless for so long, were straightened and upraised, worshipping Jesus. Her voice had been still, now she began to pray, leading others to pray for the first time in her life.
Nita Edwards was medically documented as completely paralysed for a year. It is a medical fact that anyone who suffers paralysis in the legs for three months or more will suffer muscular atrophy and undergo therapy to regain mobility. Nita regained her normal gait at the very moment of her healing. There were, however, three reminders of her ordeal as a cripple for more than a year. First, she had lost weight and needed new clothes. Second, the soles of her feet were tender after a year of non-use. For a few weeks after the healing, she felt the sensitivity of her feet when she walked. The third reminder is still with her to this day. She bears the scars on her body from the pricking, cutting and “testing” of the medical experts.
For those who were her witnesses of this astounding recovery, they confirmed that this miracle recreated and restored Nita’s body to the same healthy and vivacious state as before the accident. Syvelle Phillips, who met Nita three weeks before she was healed, wrote: “When I saw her, she weighed only about 79 pounds and could only move one hand and her head a bit. Nita’s miraculous healing is strong evidence of the glorious fact that God is answering prayer and honouring faith today. It confirms that Jesus Christ lives and the Holy Spirit is ministering to human needs in love and power.”
Today, Nita Edwards is a humble servant of God. She has shared her testimony and courageous faith in 56 countries through her Alive Global Ministries. Her sincere hope is that her Alive Global team and Gospel broadcasts in multiple languages will lead people to a deeper walk with God. She declares that the same Jesus who healed her can heal us too. All we need to do is to trust Jesus and have faith in Him.
What is Faith?
Hebrews 11:1 (TLB) said, “It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.”
Faith is not just believing that God exists. It has to be demonstrated to include acting on that faith in one’s life by serving God and obeying His commandments. Faith without works is dead. (James 2:20 ESV) Dead faith is when one believes in God but does not obey His commandments.
We all desire divine intervention when we are going through trials and afflictions. Living by faith is how we are going to get through all our trials and hardships. We have to personally exercise faith in God no matter what we may face in this life. Living by faith is living our lives as Jesus Christ lived His life on earth. It is obeying and doing the things He commands us to do.
Reference – Miracle in the Mirror by Mark Buntain with Ron Hembree and Doug Brendel.
About the Writer
Doreen Lau has a heart for evangelism and a deep belief in the power of words and stories to heal and encourage. Though she embarked for London as a young woman to train as a nurse, the Lord had different plans for her. Coming from a background in which she has had to be resilient, Doreen’s life has been shaped and directed by the Lord to be one of ministry, using her life experience to provide encouragement and to build up the vulnerable in our society.
Editor’s Note
While we rejoice in God’s amazing healing work in Nita’s life, we note that physical healing does not always happen despite endless prayers from all and asunder. That does not mean that those praying lacked faith or did not pray hard enough. God is sovereign, and it is His prerogative to heal or to withhold healing. Ultimately, He works out His good and perfect will. He is, after all, GOD.
