God Performs A Miracle For Ellianna

“After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.” -Mark 7: 33-37

Four years ago I had written on Facebook about my daughter, Ellianna being born legally blind in her right eye. We didn’t make this discovery until she was eight years old. In addition, the same eye was lazy and crossed and was not noticeable unless you got really close to see it. I had missed it and so did her pediatricians. She had three as each one retired within those eight years. All three missed it.

The first optometrist told me she could try operation, but there was no guarantee it would work. I took her to an experimental eye clinic to see about exercising that eye. They had great research data that worked on children below the age of five. Ellianna was eight years old and that doctor said it was never used with a child who was eight years old. It was out of pocket because insurance didn’t cover it. The doctor felt we couldn’t get the brain to rewire itself and help that eye. She was too old now.

As I sat there listening, I was also praying asking God what to do. I felt God say, “Do it!” I told the doctor I know how the brain works. I explained I publish two peer-reviewed journals on education. So I know about the brain. I know she was right in what she said but still I wanted to go ahead. So we did. It worked. Ellianna via eye exercises was able to get her brain to get the eye to adjust. Miracle number one. I wrote here about how every single optometrist came into the room clapping and excited after one year that her eye healed itself from lazy eye and cross eye.

However, her blindness was what it was. No operation could cure that, but God told me He would heal her eye. I have stood on this promise for the last four years, since He told me. Every healing services or alter calls I dragged her up to pray for that eye.

Let’s fast forward to November of last year. In Florida, as I was getting ready to graduate, God brought to my mind Ellianna’s blind eye. He reminded me He was going to heal her eye. Her condition would no longer be “Legally blind,” and "her strong prescription in that eye would be dropped to lesser prescription.”

Last month, we came back home, and I took her to have her eyes checked. I told Ellianna, Justin, and my closest friends. “God said He has healed Ellianna’s eye and prescription to that eye is going to be lowered!” I was excited and so was Ellianna. Can you imagine my shock when her eye was still at 2200 vision (Legally Blind) and her prescription remained the same? I was fighting back the tears, not because of her eye. She adjusted fine with one blind eye, but, I was devastated I heard wrong from God. I began to question every single thing God told me. I began to doubt the promises God made me for future things. I couldn’t listen after prayer. I felt horrible. I told my kids, and the rest that knew. “I heard wrong. Oh my God, I heard wrong!” One month of agony.

In the last month. Ellianna began to develop headaches. Yesterday, the pediatrician called me and said, “Dr. Citro, I’m sending Ellianna in as emergency to have her vision checked again. I know you had her vision checked last month, but I want to see what’s happening.” I panicked and began to call and text my closest friends to pray.

One of our board members sent back a message. “Go! It shall end in testimonies!” A close friend replied, “God IS in control. We are reaching past fear to faith, faith in the One who never fails us.” My cousin wrote a gazillion texts praying and telling me this battle was won.

The technician came in and gave her a vision test. She said, “What? You're legally blind. Wait a minute, let’s do it again using another slide so she wouldn’t remember the letters. She said, “This can’t be!” She called the doctor to come in because she didn't understand what was happening. The doctor told her to dilate the eyes anyway. She will test her later. Doctor came in and said, “I don’t understand this. How can this be? I’m looking at your eye, and I can see your eye is curved behind. How can you go from seeing 2200, to seeing 20/80 + 2? Meaning she could read 2 letters from line 70. I sat there in complete shock! Then, she says, “Ellianna we have to change the prescription. We have to lower it because it’s too strong. I really have no explanation as to how this could be, but you are no longer legally blind; and with a prescription your eye is 20/25! Very close to your other eye that’s 20/20. This is just fantastic.”

I sat there in total shock. Ellianna was looking at me with the biggest smile on her face. God, in my mind, spoke, “I told you I would heal her eye. Why would you doubt what I told you?” My immediate response was to say, “But I took her to the eye doctor one month ago after you told me doctor would find it normal. And it wasn’t.” However, I didn’t say anything.

This morning, I was reminded to read the above scripture. While we were in the waiting room yesterday, this Bible verse came to me in an email. I read it quickly and I said, “Ellianna look at this. God is reminding us your healed!” In my haste to concentrate at the man’s healing I missed something very important. I missed the method God used. Imagine! He spit and touched his ears and tongue. That’s how He choose to heal him.

This morning, God showed me so clearly, He chooses the time, place, and the method of healing. My responsibility is to believe, trust, and have faith in what He promised. I allowed myself to look at the circumstances and believe the report I received. Now, naturally, that’s what her test showed. Just to let you know she saw 4 optometrists, at 4 different institutions in the last 4 years. I was in the room as she read what she saw. I saw the same as those doctors, and what line she was reading. So, yesterday, I couldn’t believe myself what I was seeing.

I sure am rejoicing God supernaturally healed Ellianna. It sure is a miracle to see a legally blind eye see again. I can’t explain why God didn’t give her 20/20 only 20/80 in that eye, but he sure healed her of her cross eye, lazy eye, and blind eye! She received her healing just like God told me. Even if He made me wait 4 long years.

You see, so often we believe the report that’s negative. There’s a song that says, “Who’s report will you believe? I WILL believe the report of the Lord. His report says, I am healed, His report says victory.” Many times we settle, or we don’t like to wait so long, or we simply get mad at the method He uses. Look again at this scripture. That deaf and mute man didn’t care Jesus spit and then touched his ears and tongue! I wonder how many of us would allow that, without saying, “Gross, disgusting, don’t touch me? I am not going to do it Your way Lord!”

Before you say, “No, not me, I wouldn’t care!” You better check again. We confuse the voice of God with our own voice when we want what we want. How many times did God tell me to give a word to someone, and I seriously did not want to give it because I already knew I would be rejected, hated, and shunned. I argued with God please don’t make me do this. Yet, God said, “Go!” Why? Because He was perfecting the very gift He gave me. He was building my trust and faith more. He was testing my obedience. He wants 100% obedience. He can’t use people who will not listen and do what He tells us to do. It’s that simple.

This has cost me friends. Everyone wants to receive words of blessing and healings. Many times, God has used me to go somewhere and lay hands on the sick and told me before I got there He was going to heal them. God miraculously, healed them as Ellianna’s eye.

Other times He sent me to deliver a word of warning, or a word not to do something. But, those people didn’t listen to what God said. Eventually, they paid a terrible price or what God said hadn’t happened yet so they still shunned me.

This story of Ellianna’s eye, and this passage is clear. God does things His way not ours. We need to obey, trust Him, and have the faith to believe. We stand strong no matter what. Believing He will do as He said. I haven’t been able to achieve perfection regarding this. I fail too. But, I know God keeps teaching me to believe Him when He tells me something. No matter how long it takes, or how He chooses to bring it about. Our will must stand strong in faith believing what He said shall come to pass.

Today, read this passage and ask God what He is trying to say to you. Don’t go putting your own voice. God always backs up what He says through His word. And don’t listen to people. Even the best meaning person can lead you to miss on the promises of God. God is relational. He will tell YOU what He is going to do. He sends people to encourage and warn you. Throughout the Scriptures, you can see the results of those who listened and those who didn't.

Lets listen to God and believe Him. I’m glad Ellianna experienced an incredible supernatural healing. I told her in the drive home, “Ellianna, you cannot hang on to my faith. You have to exercise your own faith like you exercised your eye. Today, God showcased His mighty power and healed your eye. That doctor had no explanation and couldn’t believe it. You're no longer legally blind. Your exercises didn’t heal it. No operation could heal it, and no meds could be used. The Great Physician, God Almighty, did it. He’s giving you a testimony. He’s showing you who He is.”

Thank God with me for healing Ellianna. Most importantly, get on your knees and before His throne room and ask Him for your miracle. Rejoicing today in God’s faithfulness!

Dr. Teresa Allissa Citro

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