God bless you.
On this New Year's Day of 2009, I want to invite you to join me in singing an old
Christian hymn that is familiar to my Baptist background:
"Jesus, keep me near the cross, there a precious fountain
Free to all a healing stream, flows from calv'ry's mountain
In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever
'Till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river"
In conventional terms, my 2008 was far from great.
In fact, most people will say that Lacy J. Banks had a bad year. Indeed, sisters and
brothers, it was the worst year of my life in terms of my physical health.
Nine months ago, when I fell so low sick that I could not walk 10 steps without
stopping to catch my breath, I checked into the University of Chicago Hospital, where its
finest cardiologist and cardiac surgeons diagnosed me with end-stage congestive heart
failure and told that I needed a heart transplant to save my life.
But on my way to getting that heart transplant, I was disqualified from getting one
when I was also diagnosed with brain cancer and prostate cancer. They don't waste
precious heart transplants on diseased patients. My oldest sisters, Mrs. Maude Lee
Burrell, died eight years ago when a infection kept her from getting one after she had
spent six months on the waiting list.
Yes, it was a bad year that saw me take a four-month medical leave, be hospitalized
five times, receive radiation treatment that resulted in continued painful side effects, make
almost 50 trips to various doctors, takes thousands of pills, incur hundreds of thousands
of dollars in medical bills and suffer tons of pain
and despair.
But from the time I was shocked with the news of my three life-threatening medical
issues, I privately took the matter to the Lord in prayer by petitioning Him for a healing in
Jesus' name. Then I went public with this blog, inviting the world to stand by and watch
God heal me while I chronicle those miracles one by one.
First, my brain cancer was ruled benign and remains so as I treat it by taking a
special pill once a week.
Second, my prostate cancer was ruled early-stage and localized and deemed
treatable from the implantation of radioactive seeds.
Third, new medication was added to my already crowded daily menu of almost 20
pills and that relieved my serious heart symptoms though my heart remains very, very
weak.
This past Christmas, for the first time in my 32 years of living in Hazel Crest, I did not
put up one Christmas light or decoration outside because I lacked the energy, I caught
pneumonia, it was too cold and my wife didn't want me taking any added health risks.
For years, I took pride in decorating the outside of our house with thousands of lights
and it was the prettiest house on the block. But this Christmas, the only
decorations we had were inside the house.
Also, for the first time i almost 40 years, my wife and I spent New Year's eve at
home, where we prayed the old year out and the new year in. Traditionally, we did so in
the church, where I would be one of the featured preachers.
There were also other setbacks in my life as I saw the dearest of my friends die and
also had to become caregiver to an aging and combative mother-in-law.
Yes, 2008 was not great for me. But despite these and other setbacks, God
remained my refuge and strength and a very present help in the time of trouble.
Despite these setbacks, the Lord anchored and sustained me, has brought me a
long way in His healing process and he never has left me alone.
So although 2008 was not great, my faith tells me that, by the grace of God, fine will
be fine in 2009 as long as I drink more of God's NEW WINE from heaven's TRUE VINE.
And that NEW WINE, sisters and brothers, is none other than Jesus, His redeeming blood
and all that He stands for.
And so it was that while millions of revelers assembled in public places to prance and
dance, party hearty, drink round after dizzying rounds of alcoholic toasts, my wife, Joyce,
and I knelt by our bedside and prayed fervently to God, thanking Him for bringing us
through a relatively bad old year and asking Him to take us through a much better new
year.
And while it is the custom to celebrate the New Year by making new resolutions, I am
celebrating it by asking God's Son Jesus to do me an old favor. And I am repeating that
request right now for your reading pleasure and for your prayerful support.
Jesus, please Jesus, keep near the cross. I want to be more like you, Jesus. I want
to glorify your holy name. But I can't do it by myself, sweet Jesus. I need help from
heaven, starting with the Lord. And this is my petition to Him:
Guide me Oh thou great Jehovah, pilgrimed through this barren land
I was weak, but thou art mighty, hold me with thy powerful hand.
And while You are guiding me, Lord, I have another request:
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven, feed me 'til I want no more.
And once you guide and feed me, Lord, then I want Jesus to take over and keep me
near the cross. For it was at the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light and the
burden of my heart rolled away. I was there by faith I received me sight. And now I am
happy all the day.
And I feel like shouting right now, sisters and brothers. I feel like holy-dancing and
shouting because when Jesus keeps me near His cross, then that means I will be able to
enjoy another super bonus articulated in another familiar hymn:
Just a closer walk with thee, Grant it Jesus if You please
Daily walking close to Thee, let it be dear Lord, let it be.
I am weak but Thou art strong. Jesus keep me from all wrong
I'll be satisfied as long as I walk let me walk close to Thee.
And I say to all you sisters and brothers hoping and praying for a better 2009 than
the 2008 we just finished. If you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
then life will be fine in 2009. Moreover, not only will life be fine in 2009, but victory is mine,
victory is mine, victory this year shall be mine. So I'm telling you right now, satan, get thee
behind me because victory shall be mine and life will be fine in 2009.
Yes, God forbid that I should glory,in or brag about ,anything but the cross. After all,
no cross, no crown. For Jesus Himself commands us: "If any man will come after me, let
him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." On another occasion, Jesus said,
"He that taketh not his cross and followeth after me is not worthy of me."
That all seems fair to me. After all, Jesus bore the cross for us. He was wounded for
our transgressions and bruised for our iniquity. But must Jesus bear the cross alone and
all the world go free? No, there's a cross for everyone and there's a cross for me.
The Sun-Times had borne its crosses of affliction and divers adversity and has been
given up for dead many, many times down through my 37 years of employment here. But
I believe it continues to survive and thrive because God has His hands on this paper and
on the state of Illinois. We should have been driven out of business years ago by the multi-
million-dollar theft and mismanagement of our previous owners and his cronies. They
tried their best to rob us into financial ruin the way so many other crooked corporate
CEOs robbed their companies into financial ruin. But I believe God is blessing this paper.
It is not by accident that Illinois, the land of Lincoln, has produced America's first
black President. And it is not by accident that the Chicago Sun-Times is the flagship news
source for this prestigious milestone for mankind. Because this paper has endured its
crosses with integrity, hard work and faith, it is reaping its crowns.
God bless you and, once again, happy New Year one and all.
thank you for this blog. Your testimony is a great reminder to trust Jesus for everything. Praise Jesus for the work in your life as your glorify God.
BANKS' RESPONSE: Glory to God, Mac. Thanks for reading my blog and for
emailing your compliment. Indeed, God is not through healing me completely. But I
thank Him for every iota of progress He is blessing me. I love Him and praise Him for
His majesty, His grace and His mercy.
Dear Rev. Banks,
What a joy to read the words of the hymns that fed me in my youth. I rarely hear them anymore. You continue to encourage and inspire me as my desire is also to get nearer to him. Happy New Year and God continue to bless and keep you.
Sincerely,
Nancy Ellis
BANKS' RESPONSE: Praise ye the Lord, Nancy Ellis. Thanks for voicing your
pleasure over the blog and the reference to our commonly beloved hymn--one of
many, I'm sure. And as a bonus, let's sing together that second verse: "Near the
cross, a trembling soul, love and mercy found me; there, the Bright and Morning
Star sheds its beams around me. In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever. Til
my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river. Hallalujah! Thank you Jesus!
Brother Lacy Banks,
Thanks for sharing God's goodness in your life in 2008. God has sustained you, blessed you, and given you a testimony to share. I praise God for your humility and honesty.
It is my prayer that God will bless you even more in 2009. You are a gifted writer, and preacher. The Lord has more work for you to do.
Again, thanks for sharing. And yes, things are, and will be fine in 2009.
Sincerely,
Dr. Craig M. Jenkins, Pastor
Beth Eden Baptist Church
11121 S. Loomis
Chicago, Illinois 60643
BANKS' RESPONSE: Pastor Jenkins, God bless you. Thank you for reading
my blog and for emailing your encouraging comment. Please give me best regards
to Beth Eden. I will pray for you all. Please pray for me in return. Our God is an
awesome God and we will need Him dearly in this challenging new year. But if we
have faith in Him and continue to hold to His unchanging hand, life will be fine in
2009.
Happy New Year and God Bless You and your family.
BANKS' RESPONSE: Thanks, Ami. God did not bring us this far to leave us. So
let's walk on by faith each day.
Rev. Banks, my thoughts and prayers go out to you.
I read your blog a few months ago and put you on my prayer list then.
I just returned from my annual family visit (from Los Angeles to North Chicago, IL). This year's visit was melancholy because I have a younger brother (who's only 45 years old), battling Stage 4 colorectal cancer that's spread to his lungs and liver.
My baby brother is a fighter and he loves the Lord.
We have faith in Jesus that my baby brother will be healed in Jesus' name.
2009 will be a year for healing.
Peace, Love, and GOD'S Blessings...
BANKS' RESPONSE: Thanks Alicia Harrell for reading my blog and for
emailing your comment. I pray that God heals your baby brother completely and
that those around him be full of faith and not naysayers. I pray that God smears
the stripes on Jesus on your brother's cancerous lesions so that his cancer will be
melted into oblivion. God bless you, Alicia, and may He heal your brother quickly
and thoroughly.
You are a miracle. May He bless us all in 2009. All the best to you and your family.
BANKS' RESONSE: Thanks, Ali, and the best of 2009 to you and your family,
too. God bless you, brother.
What sweet soulful inspiration I've received from reading your testimony. In spite of the health challenges you faced in 2008, your faith remained strong in the glorious love of Jesus Christ. Without a doubt you've guided many souls to the healing, comfort and security of His everlasting arms. I am but one of them. Glory be to God, you are such a blessing! I pray for your continued healing in 2009.
BANKS' RESPONSE: Thanks, Drew, for reading my blog and for emailing
your wonderful comments. This new year will not be one for the feint of faith
because it will be a most difficult one. Many people will be dealt serious setbacks
that are not their fault and they will need to be full of faith in God to persevere,
prevail and excel. So I pray that we, the redeemed of the Lord, pray and fast
harder to have our faith increased so that we will be more faithful in our struggles
against catastrophic adversity.
I PRAY THAT 2009 WILL BE BETTER FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. I STUMBLED UPON YOUR BLOG AND KNOW IT WAS GOD'S WILL..MY BROTHER HAS JUST WILL HAVE PROSTATE CANCER SURGERY IN 8 DAYS....I KNOW GOD WILL HEAL AND BLESS.....
BANKS' RESPONSE: Thank you, C. Douglas, for reading my blog and for
emailing your kind comment of good hope for my family and me and I pray the
same for you and yours. I pray especially that our faith in God be increased for the
challenges that await us in this new year. Thankfully, we serve an ageless God
who is good for all times and is at His best when times are at their worst. I pray
for the complete healing of your brother, too. And don't forget to praise and thank
God when his healing comes.
Rev. Banks,
Thank you for sharing your inspirational thoughts. As I write this, I am in the pits of depression because my dear mother died. I cannot think of ever being happy again and the thought of going through 2009 is just exhausting. God must have led me to your blog. I will re-visit to be inspired by your faith and strength.
Finally, I wish you the very best of health. Please continue to share your ministry to those of us who need to be strengthened.
God bless you and your family.
BANKS' RESPONSE: Dear Jami, I lost my dear mother, Sarah Loraine Banks,
when I was but 11 years old and she was just 43 years old and the pain still
throbs deep in the pits of my heart and soul some 54 years later. We'll never
forget our dear mother. Never. And no matter how long she lives, even if she lives
to be 100, we never want to lose her. She is more precious than the rarest of
diamonds and the purest of gold. But we also never want to see our loved
ones suffer, too, as is often the case when they age greatly. So we thank God for
the season He saw fit to bless us with her precious presence, knowing all long that
she, you and I must some day also die unless Jesus beats death to the punch and
comes back for us in the Rapture. For we are not our own anyway. Mama always
belonged to God. He simply loaned her to us to bear us, nurse us, wean us, rock us
to sleep with a lullaby, raise and train us up in the way that we should go in order
for us to get the most out of life. Eventually, in His own appointed time, He
dispatches death from that seeming terrible terminal in destiny's dungeon to come
here on special assignment to reclaim her for His pleasure. But He never leaves
us shortchanged when He reclaims mama. He leaves us countless precious
memories. Thank God for Mama. Thank God for her apple pie, buttermilk biscuits,
pancakes, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy. Thank God's for
mama's kisses, mama's hugs, mama's smiles, mama's tears, mama's sacrifices
and, most of all, for mama's prayers. She's gone now but only in the flesh, Jami.
Forever, as long as we have a memory, we can tabernacle with her any sweet time
we please.
Precious memories, how they linger
How they ever flood my soul
In the stillness of the midnight,
Precious, sacred scenes unfold.
Rev. Banks... I greet you in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. When I first read your blog last year...I leaned back and reflected...I thought of the many sermons that you not only preached, but taught..during our days at "The Ship". I immediately "recognized" the Rev. Banks that I remembered... praising God regardless of the state we are in. As I read your blog describing your journey through these catastropic illnesses, I was reminded of John 9:3b..."..but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." Your testimonies will help someone who needs a closer walk with God and needs to understand that some of the things that we encounter during this journey called "life" is not about us but about the glory of God. No matter what "test" God requires of you...remember the words often spoken by Mother (Rev) York.."This is the Lord's doing and it's marvelous in our eyes..". I am praying with you and for you. My peace I leave with you.
BANKS' RESPONSE: God bless you and thank you Sister Flournoy for
reading my blog, for remembering our earlier days at Fellowship and for emailing
a most encouraging comment. Yes, you are right. I was destined to be afflicted
with these illnesses so that the works of God should be made manifest in me
through His healing me. And like our Saviour King Jesus said, I also must work
the works of Him that sent me while it is day. For the night cometh when no man
can work. But as long as Jesus is in the world, He is the light of the world. And,
consequently, as Christians, you and I are also "the light of the world" and He
commands us to let our light so shine before men that they may see our good
works and glorify our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be His name so that
His kingdom may come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Its pure joy to know that God is giving his blessings and your faith and perseverance in him, is giving you and your family the strength to undergo all the terrible ailments. I will pray to the Almighty to shower his healing touch to you and to all those who are in the same boat.
Happy New Year, Mr. Banks.
BANKS' RESPONSE: Thanks, B Abe, for reading my blog and for emailing
your encouraging comment. I'm also appreciate your prayer that I receive a healing
shower. And to make sure I get drenched, I'm not going to open up any umbrella
or raincoat.
may God kept us nere the cross and his love shine on us again in 2009 you are in my pray we are the apple in his eye may GOD KEPT US ONE MORE TIME.
BANKS' RESPONSE: Thank you, Rosemary, for your encouraging comment. I
pray also that you have a happy, healthy and wealthy new year.
God bless you and your family
BANKS' RESPONSE: May God bless you, too, C. Douglas.
Happy New Year, Pastor Banks!
Praise God for another year; another day; another moment of living life and living it to the fullest!
I, too have been told 2008 was a bad year for me and I must disagree with the skeptics. Any day when I can see my family and hold them close is a good day. I was able to do those acts all year long...even more so after reading your column and appreciating your journey in 2008.
I may not be afflicted with a natural sickness; but, you can believe I have been through a hellish year in my workplace. Yet, I too just keep on singing..."I know the one thing I did right, was the day I started to fight. Keep your eyes on the prize. Hold on. Hold on. Keep your eyes on the prize...Hold on!" Victory will indeed be mine in 2009.
Like you, I will fight the good fight and look to the hills from whence cometh my help.
We're all in this together.
What you're doing on these pages is making a powerful testimony for someone who may follow experience a similar health crisis in their lives or the life of a close family member or friend. In my journey, I must stand strong in the face in blatant inequities in the workplace and do my best to make it better for the next person who comes after me.
We must continue the good fight. As you stated, we all have our crosses to bear; He never said it would be easy--man's days are full of trouble...but, He promised He would never leave us nor forsake us!
I will continue to pray for the fighter in you, Pastor Banks. Because praying for you gives me strength for what I need to do and must do. Amen.
Barb Sanders
BANKS' RESPONSE: Thanks, Barbara, for reading my blog and for emailing
your wonderful comment. The devil certainly will come to work with us, with
others and will already be there when we get there. But if God be for us, and He
is for us, He is more than the world against us. Greater is God that in within us
than the devil which is within the world. And thanks be to God, who giveth us the
victory through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Dear Mr. Banks :
I have been reading your work since the early 70's, when I was just a kid and my favorite players were Norm Van Lier, Jerry Sloan, Bob Love, Chet Walker, Bobby Weiss...I loved those old Buill teams.
I read your blog occasionally, and each time I am moved by - and envious of - your strong faith.
I am Catholic and though I pray almost every day, and I think my faith is strong, I sometimes wonder if He truly hears.
I hope you are right. And I pray a happy and healthy 2009 for you, and God Bless your family.
BANKS' RESPONSE: Yes, James, God sees, He hears and He cares. If we
will but call Him, He will answer. We may not always like His answers. But He
knows what's best for us because He made us and He knows all about us. Just
don't give up. Pray. Be encouraged. Pray and wait on the Lord. And when He
comes and answers He will make your waiting worth your while.
Mr. Banks,
God Bless you, and bless you He has. I believe there is a reason for everything. We may not see it that way at times, but there is a reason our Lord has given you this cross to bear. As you know He does not give you/us burden(s) that you/we cannot bear. He chooses selectively, those who carry a heavier burden than most. For when we are weak, He is strong! I pray that our God continues to give you wisdom, courage and strength, for your journey, has a beginning and has an end.
I believe our God has placed you in this arena so that you can bear witness to his greatness through this media. For no one will ever have cause to say, Lord I had not heard of you. Be strong my brother in Christ, rejoice in Him, for HE is our redeemer, there will be no more pain, no more suffering, sometimes it's through FIRE that we are saved.
BANKS' RESPONSE: Yes, for years, Yves, we knew God speaks to us
through His sun in the sky, through His Son from on high and through time and the
experiences that occur within time. And now, through this blog, He speak through
the Sun-Times. I thank the Sun-Times for allowing me to blog my experience
battling these sicknesses with all the weapons of faith, sermon, prayer, doctors,
nurses and medicine being placed at my disposal. Newspapers cover people's
accidents, their wins and losses, their achievements and setbacks, their births,
their lives and their deaths. But here the Sun-Times is covering my healing and
to God be the thanksgiving, praise and glory.
Lacy,
This sickness did not come to you from God. It is from the enemy. God does not want you to be sick, just like you do not want your children to be sick. He took on our sickness. I would encourage you to listen to the teaching of Pastor Bill Johnson on healing. He is the pastor of Bethel church in Redding, California. You can download his teachings for their website. We can anything in God.
BANKS' RESPONSE: God bless you, Tony, and thanks for reading my blog
ad for emailing your comment. Thanks, also, for your tip regarding Pastor Bill
Johnson. let's continue to pray for one another.
Thank you for posting your story. I find your faith very encouraging. I pray that God will continue to Bless you and show you his love. Although I will probably never meet you in this life I will be looking for you in heaven whenever we both get there. See you there ...
BANKS' RESPONSE: It's a deal, Lee Ann. I will be looking for you in heaven,
too, somewhere, in fact just any ol' where, around God's throne, anywhere around
any of the three gates in the north, three in the south, three in the west and three
in the east. Anywhere around the four-and-twenty elders who praise God
incessantly. Anywhere around that tree that bears a leave that's good for the
healing of the nations. Yes, it's a deal. And isn't it wonderful that you, the other
redeemed of the Lord and I have heavenly provisions for our souls beyond this
terrestrial shore? How else could we endure the horrors and sorrows of this ol'
sinsick world if not for the fact that when this life is over, we shall wear a crown and
live joyfully eternally in heaven, where the sun will never go down? So we should
not mind the burdens we have to bear just as long as we can see Jesus in our
heavenly home when all is said and done.