And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. -1 John 5:15 (NASB)
I lay inverted on the emergency room gurney, ready to die. I was in hemorrhagic shock from a GI bleed–losing so many pints of blood that my heart couldn’t pump blood to my organs–and my organs were on the verge of shutting down. I was inverted so what little blood I had left in my body would go to my brain. My face was numb, I could no longer walk, and my vision was blurring.
I was used to figuring things out for myself, but God made it clear that this situation was not one I could think my way out of. This was a time for me to remember that He alone is in control.
I looked at ceiling as my body violently shook to try and warm itself as we all waited for the ambulance to arrive. I remember thinking that it might be my last night on earth, and that if it was God’s will, so be it.
But then, I also remembered how prayer can unlock life paths God only makes available to the prayerful. So I first asked Him, as I always do, to forgive me where my praise fell short, and thanked Him for His forgiveness. I then asked Him to bring me back from the brink of death so I could serve Him through my family and other circles. I asked Him to make Himself seen through my recovery so I could tell of His work. I left those pleas at His feet.
The ambulance took me to the intensive care unit at a nearby hospital, where a massive blood transfusion team snapped into action. After the doctors cut into my neck and installed a central line (catheter) into my left jugular vein, several pints of blood were restored to my body. I stabilized over the next couple of days, and after a few more procedures to make sure I was okay, I was released to go home and recover.
God answered my prayers. He made Himself seen through the hands of the medical teams who worked on me, and brought me back from the brink of death. He gave me another chance to serve Him.
He then asked me, “What will you do now? How will you serve me with this new opportunity?”
Every moment, breath, morning, hour, week, month, and year are new chances God gives us to do better for Him than we did before–or if we weren’t here at all. What will you do with them?
Today’s soundtrack
We the Kingdom’s “Holy Water” is a refreshing take on modern praise music, describing how God’s forgiveness refreshes and revitalizes us in our desert valleys.
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