On May 3, 2000, my husband, John, had surgery to remove six tumors on his liver. The doctor told us they just close up individuals if they find more than five. When they operated they found only four at first, and in the middle of the surgery found two more.

The physician stopped the surgery and came out to ask me what he should do. Our God granted me the courage to tell him to continue. The Sovereign Lord protected John, and the surgery was completed. Seven days later he returned home. 2 Chronicles 15:2: "The Lord is with you when you are with him."

Three days after he returned home, he was rushed to the hospital because he had developed pneumonia. Our God was there when the doctor in the emergency room did not have much hope for John’s survival, and we waited for five hours. The God I serve granted me courage to pray with a sister in Christ for a room, and a room was granted in the intensive care unit (ICU). Isaiah 55:11: "My word ... will accomplish what I desire."

Again in the ICU, we were told John was sitting on the fence and could move either toward life or death. Again by prayer, I stood against the negativity of little hope and bathed myself in his word, and with the help of members during the week, we prayed beside John’s bed and over him and believed in God’s power and might. Isaiah 26:1: "We have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts."

Again, God honored the faith and prayers of his own, and John turned the corner toward life. He was taken out of the ICU and was placed on the fourth floor. One week later, we were told his lungs were not clearing as they should, and he would need additional surgery to repair damage to the chest cavity.

The God of faithfulness, our Shepherd, walked beside us and held us close to his side to face the additional surgery, and John returned to the ICU to wait for his body to respond by the grace and love of our God. Psalm 23:4: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me."

Again my God provided prayer warriors to call out for us and surround us with administering angels. John rallied and was once again moved to the fourth floor, moving now toward coming home. I left that Saturday with a song in my heart that John would come home soon. I received a call that evening, and was told John was having trouble breathing. On my way to the door, I received a call that he needed a respirator.

As I left, I called prayer warriors for assistance and again was surrounded by God’s power to drive to the hospital in calmness of spirit and walking in trust that the God I serve would not allow his hand of life to be removed from John. Isaiah 26:3: "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you."

When I came into my husband’s hospital room, I was inspired to place my hands on him and pray for God’s protection on him before they placed him in ICU once again, this time with less than a 1 percent chance of survival. He was drowning in his lung secretions. One doctor told me he would not make it. I was privileged and inspired to tell the doctor, "I’ve heard that before."

Our God inspired me to pray psalms over my husband. I prayed all night, and at dawn I was inspired to sing quietly the hymns to God in hope. A nurse wanted to know the songs I was singing.

By dawn, John’s numbers showed that the potential for life was elevated. The nurses and doctors stood in awe of the greatness of the God I served. I was honored to tell the physicians who told me John was going to die that prayer is powerful, and my God’s power changed the course of death. He begrudgingly acknowledged. Psalm 31:23: "The Lord preserves the faithful."

For four days, I watched John on a respirator, unable to talk or move and at the mercy of others. One day, God inspired me to play a song "The Anchor Holds" on his ears, and that’s exactly what our Anchor did. He helped us out of the storm, and the respirator was removed. My husband’s name was associated with the word miracle.

When John was placed back on the fourth floor for the last time, the nurses came in one by one to talk to us and acknowledged their prayers for us also. Some sang praises to our God in John’s room as we left. Isaiah 52:10: "The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God."

God is awesome. Prayers are our power even against death’s door. Loyalty and faithfulness are our swords against unbelief. One of my favorite names for God is Awesome God. "Awesome: inspiring awe, an emotion of mingled reverence, wonder inspired by something majestic or sublime."

God’s awesomeness is seen in the saving of a sinner, in the healing of diseases. God can drive back any attempt on a life he has direction for. And so it was done for my husband, John, who sits here today.