His Will be Done

Belén Ramírez's testimony of one incredible answered prayer for healing followed by several more that went unanswered for a long time illustrates a valuable spiritual lesson: "We are not God; we do not decide when God heals and when He doesn't. You have to always ask for His will. And His will be done."

Originally from La Serena, Chile, Belén is a senior finishing her degree in communication theory and minor in marketing at DBU. Belén grew up in a Christian family with parents who were pastors and church planters. Nonetheless, her life was far from easy during her teenage years. When little, she spent a lot of time alone and was bullied at school. Experiences from her childhood affected her self-esteem and faith in Jesus Christ. She would see God in other people and at church, but He did not seem to be present in her life. A day of severe back pain, however, marked the beginning of her journey with Christ.

"One day, I started having a lot of pain in my back, and I noticed that I was deformed; I had some bones in places that they were not supposed to be. I was also a little bit underweight, so you could see a lot of deformities. The pain was so severe, and I told my mom I felt like I needed to go to the doctor. She took me to a doctor in the city, but he sent us to one in Santiago because I had an extreme degree of scoliosis."

Life took a turn for Belén after her first visit with the doctor. She received the news that she had 48 degrees of scoliosis, and her spine had the shape of an "s." The doctor was well known in Europe and Latin America, and to his knowledge, the only solution for Belén was to have immediate surgery that was a matter of life or death. However, her mom's answer to the doctor was, "God will heal her, so she won't need to have this surgery." Opposition and unbelief were present in the room as the doctor and Belén did not share the same faith.

"Mom told me to follow her to the restroom, and as she prayed for me, I felt like warmth in my back, and then I was suddenly on my knees. I heard bones cracking and moving. I was in shock and knew it had to be God." Belén was assured with great joy that at that moment she experienced God in such a real way that no one could tell her otherwise. Five minutes passed, and as she and her mother went back to the doctor's office, another set of x-rays blew the doctor's mind. He had a group of doctors' comparing the x-rays and no one could believe what had just happened. Later that evening, the doctor told Belén's mother that apparently, her God existed because he had never seen anything like this in all his years of experience. Ten degrees of scoliosis had decreased in a matter of five minutes, God had healed the most important area between her heart and lungs.

"I did not experience complete healing, but the most dangerous part was healed. Then, for years I still had to wear a brace because my spine was still deformed. I found myself wondering why God hadn't healed me completely. If He could do crazy miracles, why would He decide only to heal part of my spine? Again, I was angry at God because I had to wear a brace that covered my spine and neck. It was painful to wear, and I couldn't sleep well at night with it. Plus, since it was very noticeable, people would make fun of me."

In her junior year of high school, Belén started experiencing severe back pain again. Her parents took her to the doctor, and she went through the same medical procedure as before. Surgery in the lower part of the spine was the next step, but this time her response was, "No, I can pray again, and God will heal me." Belén would learn later that she was trying to decide for God. She knew God could heal her completely this time, but her family told her to pray for His will to be done instead. Belén would pray for healing but nothing changed. She needed to have surgery this time.

"I would ask my mom why healing was not happening now. My mom told me that maybe God wanted me to go through this to build my character, faith, and relationship with Him."

The surgery was successful, and she had a new back that allowed her to have mobility and a normal posture. Belén had to learn to walk again and go through a time of recovery. However, she says confidently that this experience changed her for the better. Her faith and relationship with God were strengthened, and just as her mother said, her character was built up as well.

"I learned, and I understood that we are not God; we do not decide when God heals and when He doesn't. You have to always ask for His will. And His will be done."

Belén is a great leader and woman who has shown perseverance amid affliction. She has experienced great opposition, but she has not given up. In the same manner, as she strives to finish her degree at DBU, she is implementing her leadership and skills in the Spanish conversation program through the Organization of Latin American Students. The mission of this program is to create a bridge between English and Spanish speakers through the learning of the Spanish language.

Looking towards the future, Belén longs to use her degree in communications to share the love of Christ through different social media platforms.

In reflecting on the will of God at work in her own life, Belén stresses, "Testimonies are so strong, and I have a passion for people who do not know God. Testimonies are able to show God and His Word through our lives."