Skip to main content

God is the Healer

Share This article

At over 60 years old, John Chase loves living on the water and staying active.   

“My whole life's been activity, I mean, jet skiing, 4-wheeling, that was my line of business, so we were constantly very active in the woods and on the water," said John.

In March of 2020 his lifestyle came to a halt while working under his boat trailer.

“I guess I had twisted myself in the wrong position, and all of a sudden, I had the most excruciating hit, like a baseball bat, to my back. Then it was excruciating pain and I crawled out of there into the house and made it to the bedroom. I was letting out noises and hollers and screams to kind of release it because there is no peaceful place to rest," said John.

John tried to endure the pain as he drove himself to the doctor.

“The sad thing was I was literally on my side using my arms and elbow to get up the steps, and thank God another patient opened the door and they grabbed me and brought me right in. The way the doctor explained it to me is that my bottom lower disc, the very lowest one, had majorly slipped over as a result of me crawling underneath the boat, and it had jammed the sciatic nerve. It was not letting off. It was not going to free itself," said John.

The doctor said John might need surgery, but suggested they try a series of three epidural shots two weeks apart. After the first one, John didn’t feel any relief.

“I'm a tough, grown man, but when you're screaming out this horrible type of scream nonstop to relieve the pain....The only way I can describe that type of pain is your face is white, you're sweating, you're almost to the point of passing out. If I wanted to get to the bathroom I basically had to grab something to get there and then crawl back as quick as I could to the bed, and try to find a happy place," said John.

As John waited for his second epidural, the pain became so severe, he didn’t think he could take it any longer.  

“At the time I was thinking very weird thoughts as they went through my mind. The pain was so bad, I thought about shooting myself. That's how bad the pain was, but I wouldn't do it because I have a daughter," said John emotionally.

Finally, John received his second epidural, but still didn’t feel any relief. 

“I really, really started to lose faith. 'Where am I going from here? What am I going to do?'" said John.

One day while lying in his bed, John decided to crawl into his garage for a change of scenery and to watch TV. While flipping through the channels he landed on The 700 Club. Pat Robertson was praying.

“I'm looking kind of down at that point and he says, 'There's a gentleman out there that...on his left side...has this pinched sciatic nerve, who's going through unbelievable pain.' I was like 'That's gotta be for me. Who else could that be for?' And so I said, 'Let me try it.' So I got up out of the chair and I had this hundred feet or more of driveway and I somehow walked down...I thought, 'I'm going to see if this is God, if this is real.' It was so incredible! Nothing! No limp. No pain. None. Nothing! And I had so much joy, I walked the driveway back and forth three times to make sure it was real. And I've had nothing since," said John.

Today, still free from back pain, John is thrilled to be back to his active lifestyle and enjoying the beauty of God’s creation around him.

“I call this 'God's country.' It's so beautiful here. It's like you want to get out there on the water and just enjoy the peace, the quiet and it's so beautiful. I wish everyone would take more time for God. That's what I think everybody needs to know. Take more time for God. He is a healer," John declares. 


Share Your Story

Share This article

About The Author

Shawn Brown
Shawn
Brown

As Sports Director, Shawn has had the privilege of leading a team in the research, writing, and production of television and social media programing. In the last decade, he has been able to broaden the reach of CBN through the creation of CBN Sports, the sports division of the Christian Broadcasting Network. By networking with public relations representatives, college athletic directors, and media directors of professional sports franchises, Shawn has been able to ensure timely and relevant content to continually broaden CBN’s target audience. Shawn has also partnered with several book