Oceans in the Desert

By Kathi Pelton

First, for a bit of background that I normally would keep private but I feel that sharing it give greater context and weight to the testimonies I will share at the end of this article.

Historically for me— January is a hard month. Though every year I enter January with declarations of God’s faithfulness and with a heart set on being faithful, for many years it has been a month of pain and trials.

I hesitate to list the things that previous Januarys have brought my way because I never want to give the enemy any “testimony”— but I will list a few of those things for the sake of God’s glory at the end of this article.

Some of the things that have happened in the month of January to me are: our house burned, my dad died (five days after his marriage— on his honeymoon), I experienced a terrible betrayal, my husband and I and our youngest son were in a very serious car accident In which I received multiple injuries, I found my husband unresponsive and had to call 911 (he survived), my brother was hospitalized with Covid and then died from it, then last year our spiritual brother and dear friend died from brain cancer. This is not the complete list but it gives you a better sense of what Januarys have been like.

I do not share this list for sympathy or as a “victim” because God’s faithfulness has been proven true and steadfast through it all. Yes, these things have been extremely painful and even traumatic but I know that the promised outcome of suffering (which is endurance, patience, character and hope) has been produced in my life as I clung to my hope in Christ through each of these trials.

As January 2024 came— I began to experience an undercurrent of grief and pain surfacing once again. I went before the Lord and shared my heart with Him. I didn’t want to have my soul enter into a posture of dread or trauma or even a bit of a soulish superstition regarding a particular month of the year. Yet, I was wrestling with those very things. Then the Lord spoke to me and I heard His still, small voice say to my heart,

“January 2024 will be a month of recompense for you.”

I received this word in faith and in hope but had no idea what was about to happen.

MIRACLE #1

In the first days of January we received a completely unexpected large financial gift that allowed us to pay off all of our debt. We had never had debt and don’t agree with accumating debt, so this had weighed on me heavily (I repented for allowing it to occur). I had prayed earnestly for three years to be able to pay it off. We received this miracle immediately after the Lord told me that this was our month of recompense.

MIRACLE #2

My husband and I have four beautiful children that we were blessed to raise— our oldest came from an amazing miracle through adoption (with many promises over her life) and then the other three came through the miracle of conception after we werent supposed to be able to conceive. They are all adults now (in their twenties and thirties). Our three birth children are married and all serving the Lord. But our oldest daughter, that came through our miraculous adoption, has been a prodigal for many years. Her waywardness has been so deep that she hasn’t been in our home for over a decade. At the beginning of January she called and asked if we could buy her a plane ticket to come home. As I write this she is sleeping in the room behind me— this is miraculous and we are praying that it is a sign of her returning to God as well (PRAY!).

MIRACLE #3

When we were in our car accident in January 2015- I received multiple injuries. Two of the more minor injuries affected my shoulders and my sciatic nerve, yet those two injuries have brought years of chronic pain. My sciatic nerve issue has prevented me from all international travel over the past few years (with the exception of Canada) and left me in constant pain— walking, sitting, sleeping, and standing. Yesterday, as I entered our church for pre-service prayer— my heart was aching because it was the anniversary of my brother’s death and the anniversary of our dear friend’s death (who was also the founder of our church). I was not going to allow my emotions to dictate my worship so I brought my feelings to His feet and worshiped there.

As worship concluded one of the elders from our church whispered in my ear, “I have a word of knowledge about a healing the Lord wants to do. Should I release it?” I said, “Yes!”

As he took the microphone he said, “The Lord told me that He wants to heal sciatic nerve issues today. If that is you then raise your hand.”

I don’t think he had any knowledge of my issue because I keep it fairly private since it’s been years (ongoing). From the front row I raised my hand and immediately was surrounded by many people from our church family. They laid hands on me, prayed over me, and one young man just wrapped his arms around me and held me tight. As this happened I felt pain leave my body and grief leave my soul.

Last night, for the first time in a decade I slept pain-free and grief-free. Today I woke up without pain in my sciatica, legs, shoulders and heart.

What a wonderful and loving Savior. I want to share these testimonies because testimony carries a spirit of prophecy. I pray and decree that the miracles that have begun with me will prophesy into your pain and need for recompense and breakthrough.

Though I believed His word of recompense over me, I had no idea that any of these particular things would have happened— they are beyond what I could have imagined.

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Ephesians 3:20

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