Out of Troubles Comes Wisdom in Trusting God
By Chris Hammond, IMH
He was only eight days old when he stopped breathing. All at the same time, it was the beginning of
the day and yet it was the end of the day because in one moment, everything
changed. He received a clean bill of
health during those eight days from three separate doctors yet I knew there was
something wrong. When he fell limp in my
arms, his face had turned completely blue and all signs of life had
vanished. So many emotions converged all
at once: fear that he was dead,
desperation that he and I needed help, scared that I had done something wrong,
and relief in knowing that my instincts were in fact right. My first response was to cry for help to
which my husband immediately responded but weirdly enough all of the phones in
our house were dead so he ran next door to get help. In the meantime, while I stared at my
breathless first born child only three words came to mind, “God help me”.
In a split second I heard a voice that I can only explain as
God’s in my head telling me exactly what to do.
I had never performed CPR nor seen it done nor knew there was a
difference between adult CPR and infant CPR; yet I performed it perfectly with
the help of God. The voice was clear,
firm, encouraging, and like a good teacher, guided me step by step gently
warning me of dangers such as puncturing a lung or fracturing a rib, concepts
that I had not even imagined possible.
By the time my husband returned with our neighbor after calling for an
ambulance, the color on our son’s face returned and he was breathing again. Two hospitals and a week later after a
battery of tests, tubes, doctors, nurses, diagnosis, and advice, our son was
released stronger than ever.
It was a miracle even by several doctor’s admissions that he
lived. God had performed the miracle of
giving us our son not just once but twice.
Out of that troubling moment, wisdom about God emerged. Psalms 40:3 states, “He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our
God.
Many will see what he
has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.” He is trustworthy, He is in
charge of life and death, and He does answer prayers during the greatest
need. Admittedly there have been times
in my life when I have wondered if God was listening but then the memory of our
son emerges and I am reminded all over again that even if that was the only
prayer God answered, it is enough.
Trusting
in God is about remembering all of the times in the past that He did answer
your prayers. It is not about putting
blind faith in someone who has not demonstrated a presence; rather it is about
remembering your past, remembering the Scriptures, and remembering the stories
of others who have experienced His faithfulness. If God had wanted us to have blind faith, He
would not have given us countless stories in the Bible of His faithfulness. Those stories are testimonies of real people
who experienced God’s amazing unfailing love in a time of great need. Search your life for evidence of God’s
faithfulness and write it down. Then
keep it in your heart and teach it to your children so they will be blessed as
you have been blessed.
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"Reprinted with permission from the LifeWorks Group weekly eNews, (Copyright, 2004-2012), To subscribe to this valuable counseling and coaching resource visit www.LifeWorksGroup.org or call 407-647-7005"
About the author- Chris Hammond is a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern at LifeWorks Group w/ over 15 years of experience as a counselor, mentor & teacher for children, teenagers & adults.
"Reprinted with permission from the LifeWorks Group weekly eNews, (Copyright, 2004-2012), To subscribe to this valuable counseling and coaching resource visit www.LifeWorksGroup.org or call 407-647-7005"
About the author- Chris Hammond is a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern at LifeWorks Group w/ over 15 years of experience as a counselor, mentor & teacher for children, teenagers & adults.