It all started Christmas Eve when I decided against all better judgment to go for a run. You see for those of you who don’t know, I haven’t been able to run for a few months. I ran a marathon back in October, and fractured my foot, and then because I couldn’t run I took up cycling, and injured my knee. After six weeks my foot healed but I still couldn’t run because my knee was pretty severely jacked up. But by the week of Christmas I was finally able to run, my knee had pretty well healed except for some minor tendonitis that would go away once my legs got warmed up. So finally I was back after two months of extreme inactivity, I was running again, and it felt incredible. Which leads me back to Christmas Eve. I was invited by my friend Daren who was home for Christmas, to go for a fun run with Matt Regimbal, Justin Lenox, and himself at Monument park. Just a fun run, through the snow, like three miles nothing serious. Now deep inside I knew better I’ve seen enough movies to know that you never go out on Christmas Eve you’re just asking for something bad to happen. And I was leaving my wife and child alone on Christmas Eve to go run, even though it was only for like an hour still it was the principle. But my knee was pretty sore that morning and I thought maybe a run would do it some good, and I really didn’t want to miss out on a fun run, so I went, and ironically it ended it up to be not so much fun. About a mile into the run I tore something in my knee. I felt a new kind of pain that had never felt before, and it came so suddenly and so sharply that it took my breath away, and I had to stop. I knew whatever it was it was serious because it hurt just to walk. So I hobbled back to my car and drove back home. The pain only got worse, and it began to affect everything I did, I couldn’t walk around the house, move, or sleep without pain. My knee was messed up, and I was so mad about it because it had just healed, and now I did something worse to it. To be honest with you I didn’t handle this very well, I was angry and depressed. I turned to movies and sleep as a form of escape, I felt totally helpless.
I came in here to church that Sunday still feeling pretty down, I parked in the back because of my knee I knew I wouldn’t be able to brave the stairs, so I limped through the parking lot, and down the back hallway in here. And I could hear that the service was about to begin. But I had to use the bathroom and I was hoping to limp in after it had started to avoid people asking me what had happened and why I was limping. So I hobble into the bathroom. And I saw Jacob Bera washing his hands and of course he asked me what was wrong with my knee. I told him I hurt it running and will most likely need surgery, but I’m getting an MRI on Monday and will find out for sure. He said that’s terrible I will pray to the Lord for your healing. I said thanks and we left the bathroom, but then he turned to me in the hallway and said can I pray for you right now. I said yeah please do. And He got down on his knees and put his hands on my knee cap, and prayed for my healing. When he was done I thanked him, and then took a step hoping for the pain to be gone, but I still felt that stabbing pain in my knee that kept me from walking right.
So I limped into church, and just decided I was going to worship no matter what. And that’s when it happened, I was standing there singing along when God took me aside, and showed me myself, he allowed me to see from a distance how I had been acting, the fits I had thrown, the way I handled the pain, and the struggle. I realized that if this had been a test that I failed miserably. Instead of turning back to God when I was hurting, I turned to distractions, I felt stuck instead of free to overcome. And so right there in the middle of worship I did some serious repenting, and I told God that regardless of what was going on, I wanted a fresh start, I wanted to begin again. I felt him draw me close and I began worshipping like someone who had just been set free. And that’s when I felt a tingling in my knee, and the pain went away. I was able to walk, and go up and down stairs totally pain free. I still decided to get the MRI, to confirm the miracle, and it did. The results came back completely clear, God totally healed my knee. The doctor even said I could run as soon as I want to, because there is nothing wrong with my knee. God is awesome, merciful, and kind, even when we don’t deserve it!
-Daniel Dunnivan
