Romans 8:28 (ESV): And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
When I was finally given a room up on one of the floors rather than laying on a gurney in the ER, and trust me the medical staff was top notch, they were simply overwhelmed, I was relieved to be out of the ER. After a few hours the nurse came in to do my vitals which is the way that they monitor my progress, checking blood pressure, breathing, temp and other things. The nurse said to me, “David, this is the most important night of your life. You have to get better.”
You see up to this point I had been at home sick for 8 days, wasn’t eating much and for the last day or two, not sleeping much either. She said that my body had to rest and begin to fight this, because all of the medicine wouldn’t do much if my body wasn’t working to fight the virus as well.
The problem for me was the medicine I was taking pushed my blood pressure into the upper 170’s and I was jittery from the anti-viral medicine too. So with all of that, I didn’t know if I could rest and sleep, because that is what the nurse said I had to do. She told me to sleep. It was now 11pm.
I spent all my time looking at the O2 monitor and attempting to lay in positions that kept my breathing level above 90, so I would toss and turn to get good air, between that and the tubes it was an ordeal. At 11pm is when the Holy Spirit spoke. I had a mental picture of me sitting on the Lord’s lap with my head resting on His shoulder and in my spirit I heard Him say to stop looking at the O2 monitor and work on closing my eyes.
He was going to take care of my oxygen and I was to focus on resting. The struggle was, the O2 monitor was my life line. If it got better, I got better. For over 24 hours my eyes were focused on that number. Shortly after that, I fell asleep. Praise the Lord!
The nurses came into the room to do their vitals check around 4am. They worked on the person in the other bed first. When the lights came on, I woke up. And I immediately looked at the O2 sensor and it read 95. Then the Lord said, “Take off the oxygen.” So I took off the oxygen and I could keep my breathing at 95 without the oxygen. I kept it off while the nurses were working with the other patient.
When they came around the curtain I was awake and sitting there without oxygen and they asked me what I was doing, I said, “I am breathing.” She said she could see that and was surprised and happy. She wondered how I did this and I said “It was the prayers of many many people.” I said, “I am healed.”
My oxygen stayed off for 6 hours until the doctor came in to look for himself. He said how are you? I said, “Great.” He asked me to get up and walk around to see what would happen to my oxygen level to see if I fainted or got dizzy. Everything checked out to his satisfaction and he said you are going home today.
I give glory to the Lord. He healed me. He could have taken me home to be with Him and that would have been His choice. He chose for me to stay and His means of doing that was through your prayers. I discussed with the Lord my mortality. And He tested my faith by asking a pointed question. I am glad He did.
As I laid in the ER without a soul with me, knowing that I am loved by so many people, after the Infectious Disease doctor told me I was getting worse not better, it was the Lord and I in that room. It was there that He asked me, “David are you ready?”
Yes, I was emotional. I thought of Karen and the kids, the huge family at South Bay and so many loved ones around the world. I thought of any unfinished business. I thought of what I believe to be promises that the Lord has given to me regarding my family and South Bay Church. I asked the Lord about those promises.
Ultimately, I said Lord I am ready. If this is what you choose to take me to be with you, then so be it. He reminded me that the life I now live, it is Christ in me. Nothing on this earth can touch me, not even COVID unless the Lord allows it. The reason is that the life I now live is Christ. I belong to Him. I am covered and protected by Jesus.
When I made Jesus my Savior and Lord, I died and He made me alive through His resurrection Power. I am alive in and through Jesus. Anything that comes at me in this world that is life threatening has to go through Jesus first. And Jesus determines the degree to which I am touched by this or that. If he wants COVID to be that thing that causes me to die physically, that is His choice. I do not ever have to be afraid of anything.
John 3:5–6 (ESV): Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
His watchful care over me is strong and secure. His watchful care over you is strong and secure. He protects you and loves you. If you can trust that all life threatening things have to go through Jesus first, you can rest and have peace.
This may be too far fetched for some. You might think that this is simply medication and science at work. I believe in what I read in God’s Word. I believe that God is active and has a plan. He will not let that plan be interrupted by the Devil or anyone else. I am (as you are) a part of that plan until God decides that I have played my part to the end.
Once that happens, you and I are going home.
I am so grateful to work for Jesus. I am so grateful to be touched by His message of grace and mercy. And I am grateful to be in His family with you through salvation of my soul.
Lord, thank You for living in us through the Holy Spirit. Thank You for taking up residence in us and giving to us resurrection power. We praise You today for who You are the the great gift of eternal life through belief in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus for the remission of our sin. That is an eternal gift, thank You Lord!
Blessings,
Pastor D
