Prayer And Providence

Luke 11:10 – Everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks the door will be opened. (NIV)

Philippians 4:6 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (NIV)

As I stood up from my chair to take my first step at the end of our church's pre-service adult Bible study, I experienced a very brief feeling of vacancy in the back of my left leg. Then I flew across the room and landed on my left hip. I knew immediately that the bone damage was serious. I said to those who wanted to help me up, "Don't touch me. Phone an ambulance to take me for an x-ray." Someone did.

X-rays proved a crashed hip. But both hip surgeons were temporarily away from our local Boundary Trails Hospital in southern Manitoba, Canada. The nearest hospital that could accommodate me was an airlift away in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. In the ambulance again, I was taken three miles to a beautiful, wee, stainless steel jet used for medivac.

Total hip-replacement surgery the next day in Regina's Pasqua Hospital laid me over until Saturday afternoon, when someone came into my hospital room saying, "You are being airlifted back to Boundary Trails today." A short time later, someone said, "No plane is available. You will have to go by ground ambulance." It was the day before Easter Sunday, on a holiday weekend! I didn't say it, but I thought, Six hours or so bouncing on an extremely sore hip! I prayed, God, You made one change, You can make another. Soon, someone was in my room saying, "A plane is now available." I was amazed, and very thankful.

As we floated in the beautiful pre-sunset sky, I told the male nurse attending my stretcher about my prayer that had been answered, and I knew from his response that he was a Christian and that he had had a part in the answer. Before we de-planed, he gave me his card.

At home, after ten days of therapy in Boundary Trails Hospital, I was still curious about how the nurse's part fit into the answer to my prayer, so I penned a hasty letter to him using the address from his card, and included my e-mail address.

Here is a shortened version of his e-mail back to me:

First, my wife and I are Christians, and are involved with our church. I have learned through my walk with Christ to rely on God for a lot of my decision-making, including your medivac. I knew we had the plane and pilots available but we had no nursing staff to accompany you as was required. My initial response was, "I doubt we can do it that day or weekend but I would see what we could do." I called my boss on his day off and he said we would be unable to do it with no staff available, then I had a thought enter my consciousness. I could do it at the end of my shift. He still was wavering on the no side till I said, "You know we always try to return patients we medivac out and it wasn't the patient's fault she had to go to Regina." That did it. He gave his permission. I called Regina's Pasqua Hospital to set it up and I guess that was the answer to your prayer. It was a pleasure to be one of His instruments that day as I remember thinking it would be a long and cruel ride in an ambulance.

Matthew 18:19-20 – Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. (NIV)

We are always challenged by our Lord to pray and not give up. In fact, He asks us to pray without ceasing. He doesn't want us to miss out on the many wonderful blessings He is pleased to bestow.

Let us remember to pray for all of our needs, and for the needs of others. Let us trust Him not only to answer our personal prayers but also to fit our actions to the plans He has for answering the prayers of other persons and to His overall plan for all of His loved ones.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for answering prayers. Help us to remember that You are always open, willing, and waiting to receive our prayers. Lord, we are amazed at Your provision for all of our needs and at Your way of making all things work together for good. Cause us to fit into Your glorious plans for all of the world so that many will believe in Your name and trust You to answer their prayers. Amen.

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