Joyce Harrington, 93, was healed from COVID-19 despite the hospice doctor's warning and gave glory to God.
When Joyce was admitted with COVID-19 symptoms on March 25, she and her three daughters heard doctor's warnings over the phone, "Hope for the best; plan for the worst." Yet Harrington's chances of survival were slim, her daughters and Harrington were not terrified. They believed their mother's faith and body are strong. Harrington was peace in faith toward God's will. Kelley said her mother had prayed for God's will, whatever it was, but pledged, "If God wants me to live, I'll give Him the glory.", according to Bpnews.
"Really, the doctor told me I wasn't going to make it," Harrington said to the media. "So, I just talked to the Lord. I said, 'Lord, I'm ready right now. I'm ready to see the angels come after me.'" "I felt at peace from the beginning but now that I am recovering, and I am committed to tell others that God healed me." she added.
Harrington's daughters, Rhonda Harrington Kelley, wife of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President Emeritus Chuck Kelley, and Mitzi Woodson, whose husband is a medical doctor in Oklahoma, met every evening over the phone with their mother. They judged her condition through her voice and cared for her needs. They were concerned as the quarantine didn't allow them to be with her, but the "sweetest blessing" was made possible by cell phone. Kelley said they shared prayer and devotional time together by conference call each evening.
"Mother was prepared to meet Jesus," Woodson told Bpnews. "She was not fearful, not ever."
"There were so many emotions that came up, so I had lots of different prayers," Harrington reflected. "I prayed for my family every day and prayed for other very important things, things that were going on now," the 93-year-old mother told the news.
Harrington is now recovering in a skilled nursing center, breathing on her own and gaining strength and want to keep her pledge to glorify God with her re-gained life.
She recorded her one-minute testimony, like many other Southern Baptists posted for Easter, and with Kelley's help, posted it on social media. As hundreds around the world followed Harrington's progress on social media, they posted comments about the impact "Ms. Joyce" had made on their lives, praising her good deeds toward others, the newspaper reported.
"Mother touched lives because she loves people," Woodson said. The timing of her illness made Easter more real. "Knowing that I will be resurrected as He was, that made it just so real," Harrington said.
The family also mentioned about others who are grieving in the time of crisis. "We do not, as human beings, understand it," Kelley emphasized. "We just have to trust His will and His perfect plan. As believers, we must practice our faith. God is sovereign and He's in control. He is with us. We can know that He will give us peace and comfort, no matter what."
Kelley expressed the family's gratitude to those who prayed faithfully. "God was very faithful to us," Kelley said. "We are so grateful for the prayers of people, for everybody going on this journey with us. To God be the glory."
