Deuteronomy 4:12 Then the Lord
spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form;
there was only a voice.
In late January of 2001 I tore the rotator cuff in my right
shoulder. A week or so later as the physicians were putting me to sleep my
heart quit. When I opened my eyes after this encounter, I was startled that a
nurse was holding a respirator tightly over my mouth and the rest of the staff
there in the operating room were all white as sheep and appeared to be very
upset about something. It was then explained to me that as they were
administering the anesthesia my heart had quit.
Three days later after extensive testing it was determined
that there were no heart problems and the reason for my heart stopping was due
to a slow heart rate, which I’ve had all my life. This was not adjusted when
putting me to sleep. The surgery was then performed and all went well.
Fast forward four days, it’s Monday morning and my wife goes
to work. I have not been by myself since the heart stopping and now here I am
all alone. It hit me, what if my heart stops, what will happen; I could die all
alone and no one would know. I couldn’t sit still, I was simply terrified and
spent several hours going from inside the house to wandering around out in the
yard.
On one of the trips inside the telephone rang. I answered
and it was Linda, a devout Christian lady, that I worked with. She was calling
to just to check on how I was doing. I
will never forget her response when I told her about my fear of being alone. It
will be ok she said, stop and talk to God and let Him handle your fear.
I vividly remember after she hung up, I lay down on the
couch and prayed to God to take away the fear and anxiety. And then it
happened, an unseen voice but a voice as clear as it could be said “it’s o.k.”
Instantly the fear and anxiety was gone. I had heard the voice of God telling
me that “it’s o.k.”
Prayer: Father thank you for your understanding and guidance
that you provide if only we ask. Amen!
