Testimony:[1] Receiving God’s Mercy
The annoying cough motivated Mirek Hufton to drive by the medical clinic where his wife worked in hopes of obtaining some antibiotics to fight an obvious infection. He would then be on his way to the out-of-town conference he had planned. But before all was said and done, the doctors reported that he had a large tumor enveloping his heart and lungs, growing throughout his chest cavity and beginning to choke off his bronchial tubes, inducing the coughing.
Mirek says, “As I reflected on the seriousness of my condition, my mind flashed back over my life. I sat there all alone in the waiting room, contemplating the fact that my body had been taken over by a deadly disease. I literally faced the prospect of leaving this world. I was brought to a fresh realization of how totally dependent I am on the Father for every breath.”
“It was at this moment when God’s comfort from the Scriptures began to embrace me. Hadn’t He said that He would never leave me or forsake me? I sensed His reassuring presence. I began to talk with Him, and His peace came to me, settling my heart.”
The doctor said he should immediately check into the hospital, but Mirek protested. He was on his way to a special Holy Spirit Bible Conference in Augusta, Georgia. He knew now that he was facing a big battle and “I needed my BIG GOD TO HELP ME! I needed a miracle!” He left for the conference.
After his birth in England, Mirek’s missionary parents gave him thirteen great years in Africa as part of a missionary family before moving to what seemed like another planet—Chicago. It took some getting used to, and much of his teen years were characterized by a desire to go back to Africa, which he described as a kind of Six Flags® theme park full of daily adventures any boy would love. However, things changed in college. At Kansas State University, his concept of God and Christianity evolved from pious religious understanding to “total being, raw passion, and divine relationship.” Here his passion for Africa was surpassed by a zeal for God. Here, too, he found himself in the thick of exciting discoveries about God’s willingness to intervene in the affairs of men and women, especially pertaining to healing the sick. He jumped in with both feet, and his ministry through the years, even before becoming a pastor in Roswell, Georgia, included bringing God’s healing power to bear upon those who needed it the most.
That night at the conference the evangelist felt they should pray for those with cancer. Mirek jumped right up and ran for prayer. His faith truly was built during the meetings of that conference, but in the hotel room at night he fought fear. Additionally, he watched the swollen lymph gland protrude further and further from the side of his neck. Negative thoughts relentlessly bombarded his mind. His biggest question was whether or not he should receive treatment.
The official diagnosis came upon his return home. After a biopsy the doctor told him he was in the fourth and final stage of this disease with a sixty percent chance that the treatment could handle the tumor. However, they needed to start with treatments immediately, or he could be dead in three months. But, Mirek kindly explained to him that he needed more time.
He took that time in the mountains of North Carolina in a rustic mountain cabin along the Nantahala River where he fasted, prayed, and sought God. He quoted and meditated on Scriptures concerning healing, hour after hour, day after day. Faith began rising in his heart.
Upon his return he was still undecided on the treatments. The days wore on, and his physical condition rapidly worsened; sometimes he woke at night feeling his heart and lungs failing him. His wife, Linda, an oncology nurse by profession, started sleeping on the couch because the sound of his labored breathing was too heart-wrenching for her.
The nights were long and hard. They cried out to God for help. Relief would come and they would thank God for His unfailing mercy. The life-and-death struggle intensified.
Mirek says, “In my heart I just wanted to please God. I was standing in faith the best that I could, the only way I knew how. Throughout my life and ministry, I had learned to believe in His healing power alone for every ailment. Why should this time be different?”
During this ordeal many people came to his support, allowing him to follow God’s leadings as best he could. But, as he studied various Scriptures where people were healed in the Bible as they humbled themselves before the Lord, he came to the realization that he must humble himself too, get out of pride, and go to the doctor.
Mirek did not disconnect from faith in God; he only began to realize he should not deal with his situation in an either/or manner. Instead, he found direction to choose both the medical treatment and faith in the healing power of God.
As he listened to the doctor explain what patients go through during treatments, something rose up in him that said, “No, I’m not accepting these predictions.” Mirek respectfully told the doctor he believed he would have minimal side effects and that he would not lose any hair. The doctor practically ignored him and told him to prepare to buy a wig because his hair would absolutely, positively come out. The doctor informed him that he did not share his belief in God, so that made their interchanges especially interesting. Now that Mirek had come this far, he refused to have his faith shaken.
Mirek prayed over the gigantic bags that were about to be emptied into his body intravenously for three hours. The nurse was relieved to know it wouldn’t be a long prayer—he simply prayed for effective treatment with minimal side effects.
During the first moments Mirek began to quietly praise God. “I thanked Him for delivering me from this wretched cancer. Suddenly, I was overcome by the presence of the Lord. It was wonderful and truly supernatural. I sensed such joy and freedom in His presence that I began to laugh out loud. Apparently, it was very loud because my wife, who happened to be on duty at that time, came over and told me to try to hold it down! I honestly did try, but ‘holy’ laughter kept bubbling up out of me during the entire time of the treatment!”
After about two hours, the nurse, and eventually the doctor, examined that swollen node. It had gotten very soft and was actually shrinking while the first treatment was still running. The doctor acknowledged that seeing results like this so quickly is very unusual.
Serious about getting well, Mirek cut off all extraneous activities and focused on one thing—his healing. He told church members he would preach and teach at church services but would set aside administrative duties. He would rest and feed his faith as much as possible. He says, “My number one job was to stay on the planet to complete my God-given purpose.”
Mirek spent most of his time focusing on the Word of God like never before, especially where healing was concerned, spending multiple hours with God reading the Word, quoting and meditating on healing verses. He read books on healing and began holding weekly one-hour teachings on healing at his church, as the treatments continued month after month.
At his weekly visits to the clinic, he met other victims of cancer for whom he grew to care deeply. This created a great opportunity to share the love of Jesus with them, especially when they knew he was right there in the trenches with them. But sometimes his new friends didn’t make it, causing his own life-and-death struggle to be that much more challenging. During this time he saw the importance of letting the world know that Jesus Christ came to bring life, healing, and eternity in heaven with Him.
Mirek warns that it is normal to ask the “why” questions, especially if you are looking for doors that may have been opened to the enemy. But, if you’re shaking your fist toward heaven with a “Why, God, why?” attitude, then you could get yourself in trouble. As Mirek says, “When you are fighting for your life, you don’t have time to get angry at the cosmos or ask the unanswerable questions. Seek God and get healed now.”
Additionally, Mirek searched his heart for any unforgiveness, but also learned to be careful of well-meaning church people who didn’t hesitate to point out things in his life and personality that they perceived as flaws directly related to his troubles. Mirek had his fair share of those who heaped condemnation and discouragement on him in the middle of the battle.
Mirek says to always, “Focus on building a person’s faith, offering encouragement, and doing your part to aid in his or her healing. Stay positive. If you truly sense there is an issue that needs to be dealt with, pray about it. God can reveal it to them and help them through it a lot better than you can.” Plus, you may have to make some tough decisions on what friends and family you allow to speak into your life. Keeping your healing at priority number one might mean some sacrifices. There came a point that he no longer received phone calls from anyone except his closest friends who believed in God’s healing power. Instead, he spent his time reading and listening to God’s Word regarding healing and sought out meetings where the Word was being taught and God’s power was present. Though maybe a little drastic, he saw his participation in such activity as necessary and scriptural. The Bible instructs us to “keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues (or the forces) of life.”
In those times when Mirek would seek others to lay hands on him to pray, he also realized he must do his part. One of the things he did was to constantly affirm with his mouth and believe in his heart that God’s power was at work in his body. He verbally affirmed that God’s resurrection power was actively working in his body, restoring, rebuilding, and repairing all the damage the sickness had caused.
While the medical treatments continued, Mirek kept taking the Word of God, focusing on healing. His concentration on the Word of God was for only short periods. Staying strong in faith in the midst of unending struggles, weakness, and fatigue was a tough reality. After nine grueling months, the treatments took a toll on his physical body, but spiritually he really saw the effects of God’s Word. The doctor was completely shocked that his hair never did fall out and one time playfully tugged at his hair in disbelief during an examination. Additionally, Mirek never missed teaching in a single church service throughout the whole ordeal.
It was at the end of himself, even at the end of his faith, that he discovered the mercy of God. The miracle of such mercy came through each and every time. He learned to cry out for God’s mercy and believe that it was his every day. Mirek says, “After all, without His mercy, where would we be? That realization will knock all the religious pride out of you! It’s because of His great mercy that I am healed, not because of my great faith.”
“My testimony of healing is rooted in God’s wonderful and abundant mercy. Had it been solely up to my faith, I probably would not have made it. We don’t have to lie around wistfully hoping for God’s mercy. The Bible says that we can come boldly to obtain mercy in the time of need! Mercy is something that we can obtain. It is a spiritual force that is available to meet the need when we’re falling short. Thank God for His mercy!”
Routine follow-up examinations continued for several years, but all traces of the tumor are totally gone. Mirek also continues with daily confessions of God’s Word over his body, over his life, over his family, and over his ministry.
As a way to help his church people and others tap God’s mercies, Mirek wrote a confession booklet called Faith Has a Voice: Daily Scripture Proclamations. Mirek says that the booklet “was born out of my own personal struggle with death. Facing a three month sentence by a doctor after diagnosing my body with cancer, I applied myself to the Word of God in a fresh new way.” The booklet is full of scriptures, many of which are written in the first person to allow the reader to identify personally with each promise of God.
As Mirek says, “Faith has a voice! It must be your voice!”
[1] Excerpted and reprinted with permission from Faith Has A Voice: Daily Scripture Proclamations by Mirek Hufton. Published by World Harvest Church, Roswell, Georgia. Receiving God’s Mercy: A Testimony of Healing by Mirek Hufton. Copyright 2006 by Mirek Hufton. Christian Publishing Services, Tulsa, Oklahoma. http://www.worldharvestchurch.org.
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