Pictured above: Daniel and Heather Lloyd with their three children; Olivia, Carson and Annie.
CRAWFORDVILLE–An excruciating cry of pain rang out through the worship center as Pastor Wayne Baker presented the altar call at First Baptist Church of Wakulla Station on Sunday, April 23. Baker quickly realized that Pastor Daniel Lloyd, worship and youth pastor, had fallen to the ground in debilitating back pain.
Church members gathered around Lloyd in prayer, and two men from the congregation helped him into a friend’s vehicle to be taken to the local emergency room. After many tests, Lloyd learned that he had a large hemangioma that had fractured his spine.
God has showed up and showed out along this journey. He is good and deserves all the praise and glory
“I grew up having spinal issues and scoliosis since I was a teenager,” said Lloyd. The morning he collapsed, Lloyd had been in extreme pain and wore a strong brace around his lower abdomen and back. As he prepared to lead the congregation in “I Surrender All,” his back gave way in full surrender to what the Lord would do next.
Lloyd waited in distress for six weeks to learn that the hemangioma that broke his spine in multiple places was benign, but it would require many weeks of radiation to shrink, as it was in an inoperable location.
“The church really rallied to support us,” said Heather Lloyd, Daniel’s wife. Whenever the Lloyds began to wonder how they would afford the mounting medical bills, they prayed and God showed up through someone who gave exactly what was needed.
“We had friends volunteering to watch our three children, send cards of encouragement and just check in on us,” added his wife. “The church has truly been a representation of a family taking care of one another.”
The blessings of time, finances, gifts, talents and prayer extended beyond First Baptist of Wakulla Station with others in the community praying and reaching out with support.
“This has been an incredible display of God moving and working in my weakness,” added Lloyd.
Through it all, Lloyd was able to lead worship every Sunday in the form of videos he had recorded three years earlier. During 2020, in the height of COVID-19, Lloyd was serving at a church in North Alabama that had shut down for six months. To encourage the church, the local community and his friends on Facebook, Lloyd began to record worship songs three times a week.
“I wanted to shed some light and encourage believers to remain in the peace and hope that we have in Jesus,” said Lloyd.
Knowing he would be completely unable to lead worship in-person for months, Lloyd quickly thought of the more than 45 videos he had created years in advance. With the blessing of Pastor Baker, Lloyd led weekly worship via video with his wife playing piano live for the congregation.
“It was really special to have Daniel leading in this way,” said Baker. “This was something extremely out of the box to which we could experience worship and Daniel’s God-given talent each week.”
After several months, the church was filled with applause, joy, thanksgiving and “faith becoming sight” as Lloyd once again stepped in front of the church, with a walker to stabilize him as he led worship on July 30. He still has several months of physical therapy before him and is expected to make a full recovery by the end of the year.
“God has showed up and showed out along this journey. He is good and deserves all the praise and glory,” said Lloyd.
Baker added, “This was an opportunity for us as the body of Christ to do what we are called to do. Our church, along with the entire community, knew this was an attack spiritually, to which we all took it to the One who could make it better.
“God performed a miracle in Daniel’s life, which provided the spark that started the fire Satan could not extinguish. This battle is not over, but God’s provision through it all cannot go unnoticed. His power and provision continue to give us the fuel needed to keep battling.”
Powerful testimony, thank you!