My son, Brandon was six years old when he had his first seizure. I called 9-1-1 and held him as he seized for 25 minutes. When the seizure was over, he was airlifted to the hospital where the neurologist announced Brandon had epilepsy and would need medication.
I thought, How is this possible? He is a healthy boy. I was convinced the seizure wouldn’t happen again, but I was wrong.
Over the next months, Brandon’s seizures increased. His medicine was so strong it caused our once athletic boy to become lethargic. Our hearts ached to see the medicine’s effect on Brandon’s personality.
For the next four years, Brandon’s seizures continued and the meds continued to sedate our sweet boy. Our hearts were pierced when his teacher used the words “special-ed.”
Meanwhile, my husband, Steve, and another pastor started a church. Steve was the youth pastor, so weekly we had 200 teenagers in our home. It was a glorious time as many students surrendered their hearts to Christ.
Steve held worship band practice in our home. When they rehearsed, Brandon would study the musicians. Rather than playing sports, playing music became Brandon’s passion.
One day after Brandon had a severe seizure. I went up to my room and cried, “That’s it Lord. I quit! We’re serving You, and You can’t heal our son?”
Then God whispered to my heart 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” I tearfully admitted I didn’t know how to be thankful, but I was willing if He would show me how.
Soon God revealed how He was using Brandon’s illness to mold him into a musician, and I was thankful.
Later, my brother, a new believer, came to pray with Brandon and ask God to heal him. The next day Brandon threw away his medicine saying, “I’m not going to take that anymore. God’s going to heal me.”
I wish I could say I was convinced Brandon was healed, but I wasn’t. So I snuck his medicine out of the garbage. Steve said, “Let’s not make him take his meds. Let’s pray.”
To that point if Brandon missed one dose of medication, he’d have a seizure. We were amazed as weeks went by seizure free. As the meds wore off, we joyfully watched Brandon wake up from the lethargy.
It has been twenty years since God healed Brandon of epilepsy, and I never grow tired of telling the story of how God answered the prayer of a new believer and a little boy. We had every prayer warrior we knew praying for Brandon’s healing, but God showed how He was waiting for the faith of a mustard seed to move His hand.
Brandon grew up and studied music in college. He has toured with well-known Christian musicians and now works as a worship leader in a church.
Our vision had been the glory of the crowd at Brandon’s athletic accomplishments, but God’s plan was to use our son to lead crowds to glory in His Son’s accomplishments.
