My Trip To The ER

Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Isaiah 41:10 NLT

 The other day I was in the Emergency Room for severe abdominal pain. The doctors told me it may be appendicitis, a common illness that could be fatal if not treated quickly with surgery. Thankfully, after having several tests done, one of the doctors told me I simply had the stomach flu. 
But before I was released, I spend several hours in that room. The ER can be a frightening place. I overheard a conversation in the room beside mine where a man's pacemaker was having trouble operating. He could have only hours to live. In a room across the hallway, I heard a little toddler screaming for roughly an hour. From what I could hear, she had a bad fever as a result of a fever. 

So all around me were people who might not have long to live. And I thought of myself as well. What if the doctors made a wrong diagnosis on my part? What if they operated on me but something went tragically wrong during the surgery? Despite knowing that modern medicine is better than ever, I was still a little afraid.

Yet what comforted me during my time spent in the ER was the knowledge that God was with me. Nothing would happen that would not be a part of His plan. If I lived, great! If I died, great! Either way, God would still be with me. That gave me hope. 

As His Spirit comforted me, He also moved me to pray for the people around me. I could not do much else lying on a bed but watch television, and isn't prayer a better thing to do? I was concerned for the man with the pacemaker. I was concerned for the toddler. I couldn't walk over and talk to them, but I could pray for them. Before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He prayed. 

The next time you're afraid, remember that God is with you. He is in control. And see how you can focus less on your needs (although important) and focus more on the needs of others for their good. 

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