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.



Reprint Permission- If this article helps you, please share it with your own list at work or church, forward it to friends and family or post it on your own site or blog. Just leave it intact and do not alter it in any way. Any links must remain in the article. Please include the following paragraph in your reprint.

"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.

Popular posts from this blog

A Red Head, A Blond, and A Brunette: What Do We Have In Common?

5 Ways Codependency Gets Confused With Love

Psychological Strategies to Rebuild Your Life After Natural Disaster