Wednesday, 23 June 2010

  • Testimony: How I Knew God was Walking Beside Me

    2009 was a memorable year!  My mother -- alert and oriented and very, very active person -- fell down her basement stairs striking her head in January, 2008. She never re-gained consciousness and died that same day, while on a ventilator.

    Then, on June 24,  my 80 year-old father -- who has pulmonary fibrosis, progressive scarring of his lungs until he cannot breathe any longer -- headed for town to get groceries. By that time his health had deteriorated, and he needed 24/7 oxygen. He took a portable oxygen tank with him to get groceries. He thought it was full of oxygen, but it was empty. Three miles from his home he became unconscious. We have a police video of the policeman running beside my dad's slow-moving car on a four lane highway and the police officer using his billy club to smash out the left rear window so Dad could be rescued. Dad had extremely low oxygen -- 50, and normal is a 95-100 oxygen level -- when they pulled him from his car. He was taken to a hospital emergency room, where he was loopy from brain damage for about 3 weeks. So hard to watch my dad's confusion from the accident! 

    As far as a defining moment , yes, there was one. I knew God was with me because of this: My dad was brain-injured and confused for the first couple of weeks after his incident. He was repeating names of colors or letters and spitting on Satan -- strange behavior that I had never seen before. In his confusion, he kept taking off his oxygen so he had to be closely watched; we already knew what a lack of supplemental oxygen could do to him!

    Four days after the incident on June 24th, dad was transferred to a Rehab Facility. When I left the Rehab Facility Saturday night, I was exhausted from lack of sleep and deep worry. I had had very little sleep.  The rehab staff assured me that they would not leave him alone and told me not to worry about him. I had not planned to return to see Dad again until after church the following day. I went home and fell into bed.

    At 4am Sunday morning, I was awakened from a sound sleep -- awakened so immediately that I felt I was wide awake. I had an overpowering urge and overwhelming feeling that I needed to go back to the rehab facility right away. I felt compelled to go, so, I got up and got dressed and got to the rehab facility at 430am. I let myself into the facility with the door code I had been given. I went to my father's bedside and found that he was buck naked and had removed his oxygen and was very confused. There was not a nursing aide or nurse in sight. I hollered for help and no one came, at first. I attempted to put the oxygen back on dad. Though he grabbed my wrists, eventually he just gave up and let me put the oxygen back on him. When finally someone came, they checked his oxygen and it was 70. (Remember, 89 is a critical level for oxygen and his was much below that.)

    That is when I was sure that God was walking beside me through this awful experience. I feel that I woke up because God wanted me to go to my father. You can think that's nuts, but that is how I see it. This knowledge of His presence gave me the confidence to face the rest of this horrific true life story! 

    What a gift!  I knew that I was not alone!

    Do you think God looks after us in ways like this? Have you ever heard God call you to do something?  What was your experience?

Related Posts

Comments (3)

  • craigwbooth@xanga
    The Revelife blogger asked, “Do you think God looks after us in ways like this? Have you ever heard God call you to do something?  What was your experience?”


    The tragedies the blogger faced are very sad, and like most other people, I have had to face similar ones.  I would not belittle anyone’s grief.


    However, to address the questions asked by the blogger: No, this is not the “norm” experience of Christianity.  Given the strife you were enduring it does not strike me as abnormal that you experienced a wave of concern for your father in the middle of the night and rushed to his side.  That God permitted this coincidence to work out so great is wonderful, and all good gifts are from God. 


    My own wife has had these “waves of concerns” numerous times and rushed to family members.  They have never been in real distress, yet, should it ever work out that a real incident overlaps one of her waves of concern, doubtless she will think of it as the blogger has done and will forget all about the numerous “false alarms.”  Coincidences make for great anecdotes but poor doctrine.


    Does God speak to us via sensed emotions?  I do not believe so, and have written on that very subject. http://craigwbooth.xanga.com/724889918/knowing-god%e2%80%99s-will-in-advance-the-have%e2%80%99s-and-the-have-not%e2%80%99s/


     
  • lomal@xanga

    I have to strongly disagree with the previous writter, and could list several stories to indicate the point. I will share only one. In brief, I was driving a small car in the 3rd lane of a crowded Houston freeway when the steering wheel was ripped from my grip causing the car to move suddenly into the 2nd lane and straightening out before I could get my hands back on the wheel. There had been no obstacle or indention in the pavement that would have caused my car to move. At the exact moment my car swerved, a large vehicle in the 4th lane jerked into the spot I had been 1 second before. I was saved from a horrible accident and possible death.


    The Lord is intimately involved in the details of the lives of those who love Him and are striving to do His will. He does not always give us what we want, but He gives us what He knows we need.
  • greatredwoman@xanga

    I do not feel it as a wave of concern in that I was awakened as if shaken..and felt such a very strong urging to go to my father.I couldn't deny the compelling feeling.  I had no reason to go..the facility had told me that they would have someone with him all of the time. I had not planned to return until the following day after church.


    I have had this very same compelling feeling once before..Four years before my parents died, we had a new member join our choir. I had never been close to person in my choir before in my entire life nor had I wanted to be. After meeting this person at a small gathering, the next morning I woke up with the same overriding and compelling thought that this person would be significant in my life. I thought I was nuts. I didn't tell anyone. And, nothing happened for 4 years.


    Then, when my mother died, this person reached out to me and walked with me through this entire horrific year and the year following it. We are now extremely close and I did not have even a friendship with this person before this. It was simply amazing. I believe God told me about this ahead of time. I don't know why..


    I have also had unusual things happen like being home one day when an intruder tried to kick down my front door..I worked the evening shift that one time in that year, so I was there in the morning. 3 inch screws which I'd installed when we moved into the house...I'd never done that before, either..held the door and I called the police.


    Also, had an experience when someone tried to break into a house in a nice neighborhood ..that I was babysitting at..and he simply went away..he couldn't get in.


    These experiences are humbling and I did not tell anyone about them for a long time for fear of the same reaction which the first person who commented made.


    At any rate...I know it was God..not just coincidence.


    Christy

  • Sign in to Comment

  • Give eProps (?)

About the Author

Tags

Who recommended?

Who gave the eProps?

2 eProps from:

0 eProps from: