Medical Trip

A couple of weeks ago, a young man came early in the morning saying that a woman was very sick in a village about three hours away. The woman’s husband was asking for someone to come quick with medicine for her. One of our medical workers and another man said they would go, so they gathered up what they needed and headed out to see if they could help.

After arriving and starting the lady on the appropriate medicines, another woman asked the medical worker if he would pray for the sick woman. Of course he was happy to pray and ask the Lord to heal her body. So he prayed and the woman said, “Oh, that was such a powerful prayer—surely she will get better.”

Our friend, who is not only a medical worker but also one of our main church leaders and Bible teachers, didn’t miss a beat in his response. He could have taken this as a compliment and went on; he could have felt a little pride rise up and thought highly of himself; or he could have agreed with the woman and found status in her evaluation of him. However, he responded, “And what if she dies? Does it mean that God is not powerful? Is it not God who gives and takes away a life?”

He turned the conversation toward the recipient of his prayer. See, our friend has a great perspective on his place before a holy God. If I have heard him speak of his inability to do anything of worth once, I have heard him speak of it a million times. He knows that only the Lord can produce in him anything that is good. He knows that it is the will of the Lord, the decrees of Yahweh, that will unfold, and God’s plan can’t be thwarted. Our friend also knows that he has been given privileges as a child of the Most High to bring his petitions boldly to the throne of God, knowing that Christ’s righteousness is his and that he is blameless before his Father in heaven.

It has been a joy to see this man be used by God here in this little patch of jungle out in the middle of nowhere. It is also humbling to see how with such great faith he hears the Word, believes it completely, and uses it to discipline his actions.

May I be so changed by God’s Word; may I never take it for granted. We who call ourselves followers of Christ are privileged beyond measure.