When was the last time you watched God work in your life?
My husband fell ill on my birthday. I didn’t think much of it because I am used to him being lethargic on weekends when he had a stressful week at work. But when his fever progressed and his headaches persisted, we decided to consult with the doctor. After assessing my husband’s symptoms, the doctor ordered a blood test.
He was positive for dengue fever. The doctor advised home management in the meantime and continued hydration at home. We need to monitor his platelets, which meant taking blood tests every day.
Knowing that the number of dengue cases and fatalities has risen of late, I couldn’t help but worry about my husband. Though there was no drastic drop in his platelet count yet, I was concerned. My prayer was for the Lord to increase my husband’s platelets without hospital confinement. Reading the book of Psalm every day and knowing that friends and family were praying for my husband gave me comfort.
Where’s my miracle?
On my prayer times that week, I kept receiving same message, “Watch me work.” That gave me hope thinking the Lord would answer my prayer and skyrocket my husband’s platelets the following day. I imagined what I would share with my friends when I receive my miracle.
But he didn’t. The platelets continued to drop, which needed hospitalization for continued hydration.
The queue in the hospital was indescribable. We went in for admission on a Thursday afternoon and waited until about 8:30 PM. I called two other hospitals in the area but they could not accommodate us as well. The hospitals were full. Then, the admission officer approached us and said they couldn’t give us any room that night. We had to go back the following day and opted to have him checked in the emergency room for blood tests. That afternoon, his platelets dropped to 40,000. I couldn’t believe the test result. I asked the Lord, “Why, Lord? Where is my miracle?”
My heart started pounding and the tears began to fall. I was angry and scared at the same time. I panicked because the sudden drop of platelets is not good. A few minutes later, the nurses prepared to hydrate him. In my frustration, I blurted out, “His platelets are down! Why was he not hydrated yesterday?“ One of the nurses was the ER nurse on duty the night before. I saw the frustration on her face when she saw me crying. She couldn’t do anything about our situation. She whispered, “You will have a room, Ma’am, very soon.”
What a surprise!
While waiting, I updated my friends on my husband’s status. Then, after about 30 minutes, a friend of mine appeared out of nowhere in the emergency room. They also confined their child in the same hospital but had a different case. We didn’t talk much and just exchanged pleasantries. She was one of those who were praying for us to get a room.
We got a room after six hours. Our dgroup leaders were the first to visit us that night. When they left, I tried to relax. I called my mother and my mother in law, updated the kids and my father. Then, I received a text message from my friend who I saw earlier in the ER. She asked me where our room was. It turns out were a few rooms away from each other. When she came into our room, we were laughing because we couldn’t believe our friendship would take us through “sickness and in health”.
We went outside to talk and I that’s when she opened up about their child’s condition. It was disheartening but I knew that the Lord will lift them up from their trial. Every day we would drop by each other’s room, chat, and even share food. Despite the illnesses we were going through, we both witnessed the goodness of God.
When the doctor gave our discharge orders, I was ecstatic that we were going home. But it was also sobering because my friend had to stay in the hospital. My friend’s face flashed in my mind while I was praying that morning so I prayed for them too. Then, the Lord reminded me of what he said, “Watch me work.”
What the Lord meant
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View from our hospital room 5 AM. -
Taken an hour later.
I was waiting for him to work his way around my circumstances but He had another plan, a bigger plan. He did not gave me my miracle because He had something else in mind. God allowed the illness to take its natural course. He even used the delay to see how He will work. The miracle I was waiting for was His divine appointment. I realized it is not always about us.
Not that He didn’t care about me or my husband. As if God was saying, “Your husband’s dengue? Don’t worry about it. It’s in the bag. I got you. But I have a bigger plan, watch me work.”
I saw how God used my circumstances to encourage my dear friend. Her presence also comforted me. God is true to his promise when He says He will never leave us. God assures us of his presence even in our trials. Though he allows the hardships, He also gives us security that we will never be alone. God manifests his love to us in ways we cannot explain, most of the time, through his people.
During my prayer time, I asked the Lord what will happen to my friend. His response was very clear and I shared this with her.
The Lord orchestrates everything that happens in our life. We may question or resist it, but His will prevails. As we grow in our relationship with Him, we will be sensitive to His leading. We will also be excited to see how he works in our life and the people around us. What a relief to know that with God there are no coincidences. There are God incidents.
