Stories,

Faith Over Fear

By First Dallas Staff

Life is full of unpredictable storms, but Travis Farr’s unwavering faith shines as a beacon of hope. Travis has been a member of First Dallas for nearly 13 years and is a devoted husband to Melissa, as well as a loving father and grandfather. Yet, in 2018, he experienced a sudden and alarming health crisis. What he thought was just swelling in his ankles turned out to be a sign that his liver was failing.

Travis’ diagnosis was life-threatening, and doctors warned him that he may not be able to survive it. Bravely, Travis told them, “What’s so bad about that? One way or another, I am going to go home. Either to my wife and kids or home to my mansion in heaven.” Two years later, Travis underwent a liver transplant. The aftermath of the procedure left him confined to a hospital bed for 63 days, enduring the physical toll of his body’s healing process. “It was gruesome, but God is able,” says Travis. 

Travis’s courage and faith throughout his time fighting for his life were truly remarkable. He said he wanted to use his experience for good and prayed for God to be glorified through it all. He said, “If one person will stay on their knees in prayer five to 10 minutes more on behalf of my family and me, this will all be worth it.” He goes on to say, “I had so many prayer warriors at First Dallas,” and believes those prayers were instrumental to his recovery.

Only 18 months after the first transplant, Travis’ liver started failing again. Around this same time, Travis’s lungs were struggling to recover from battling COVID-19. “I was totally dying,” says Travis. “Doctors explained it to me like this: ‘You are like a guy driving from Houston, and you have a tire that is going flat and an engine that is about to blow. Whatever comes first is what we have to deal with.’”

“The doctors left me no hope,” says Travis. Yet, as a believer in Christ, he stood firm in his faith because he knew God is greater. 89 days later, after doctors tested Travis’ lungs over and over again, he was miraculously healed from COVID-19. Travis looked at one of his doctors and said, “From this day forward, never tell a patient they only have a year to live. Instead, say this: I once knew a man who believed in the Lord, and his lungs healed in 89 days.”

Travis is not only excited that he has an extension of life but because “God’s love has been revealed to [himself] and [his] family.” But God’s faithfulness has also been extended to those who have encountered him in the medical field. Upon his recovery after his second liver transplant, a nurse wrote him an email saying, “At the time, I had thought it was so unfair that someone as good and kind as you, as faithful as you, was given the prognosis that you were. I couldn’t believe that you were praying for ME and MY mom when you were who we should be praying for . . . To restore my faith in God, I needed to know you, to know someone with a faith like yours.”

For those struggling today, Travis’ advice is to “Have faith before you need it. Call on God when things are good in your life.” Had Travis not had such a firm foundation of faith before his diagnosis, his life and his story may have been very different. Now, Travis’ confidence is contagious. While his story was one of miraculous physical healing, if we are in Christ, we have experienced miraculous spiritual healing, and we can join him as he says, “Because of God, I live.”

We want to celebrate all that the Lord has done in your lives! Share your story with us by emailing firstdallas.org/stories.