So October was the month I had set aside to pray for breakthrough in various areas, “stuck” places. I was feeling like there were many. God had sent a dear friend, Amy Cox, to visit for a week, and His love was evident in dear times spent with Amy. Still believing for more breakthrough before October's end, it’s interesting how the events of the next 5 nights and 4 days in the hospital unfolded. God truly brought the breakthrough. I entered the hospital on October 31st, Halloween, followed by three nights of a Buddhist celebration called Loi Kratong. Loi Kratong is a beautiful and fun holiday to watch, but spiritually disturbing with three days of ceremonial contrition where small lanterns are floated in the rivers to honor the river spirits and beg penitence for human sins against nature. The atmosphere was heavy to say the least. We were in a Christian hospital started by protestant missionaries long ago, yet many sobering talks of religion with the nurses revealed that the nurses and doctors of this Christian hospital were all Buddhist.
As we watched the celebratory fireworks from my hospital window each night, I was reminded of what I had been reading the last few weeks. In October I like to read biographies of men and women of faith in preparation for celebrating All Saints Day, so I was reading again a favorite book, Amma: The Life and Words of Amy Carmichael. Amy was a missionary in India for fifty years rescuing and then mothering children from temple prostitution. She writes, “ India (Thailand can easily be substituted here) has been drugged by the poison of subtle philosophies and by the deadly draughts of degrading superstitions, till she seems beyond the power of all our efforts to awaken and arouse. . . The giant is not awakened? What then is the remedy? . . .We have not given prayer its proper place in the plan of our campaign. . . .The energy of the flesh, of our intellect, of our position, of our very enthusiasm, this has been allowed to usurp, to a lamentable extent, the place of the one power which can rouse immortal souls from the slumber of eternal death—the might of the living God, the energy of the Holy Ghost. “ I truly am thankful for quiet times to pray while confined to the hospital bed.
God brought the breakthrough I had been asking for in “taking every thought captive.” In the many transitions of the last five months, I was feeling tired, spiritually vulnerable in many ways and hearing many lies. As I entered the hospital, I felt God’s urging to be single-minded. I think being in a small, foreign hospital had been one of the things I secretly feared most living here, and I was so comforted every minute by God’s nearness. The endless changing of IVs, the pain, the unknown, the not being able to keep food down or in, etc. Such sweet times recalling scriptures and meditating on Father God’s character brought such peace in the midst of chaos.
Once again, God met me in speaking and understanding Thai in challenging situations. Another breakthrough.
I had been asking God for breakthrough in relationships here as we adjust to new “team” life as our family working in the context of the international school. I feel swallowed up by the love of the community here with caring for our children, bringing meals to our home, prayers, and other random acts of kindness.
Let’s just say that loving “in sickness and in health” went to a much deeper level as it is expected in Thai hospitals that a family member will stay and care for the patient. As you pass some hospital rooms, many family members sleep on the floor as they stay with the patient. So Jak and Brent and I had some intense bonding. My dear husband cleaned me up again and again through all the nightmarish situations. I am humbled by his love. Interesting how God can use the wildest situations to go deeper still in our marriage relationship.
While I was in the hospital, my mom shared with us about my granddaddy. Having recently been moved to a nursing home, he told mom that morning that he had been reciting memorized scripture to himself trying to keep his mind sharp. He is 95. What a great testimony. The truth is, in the middle of the night laying in the hospital bed in deep pain waiting for the morning to come, the one thing that truly "saved" me was was recalling scripture and meditating on the character of God and Savior Jesus. Praying the psalms and the words of our Lord kept me going.
“O keep me, Lord, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed or disappointed, for my trust and my refuge are in You. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for and expect You.” Psalm 25:20-21
A final story of God’s kindness. Julie was taken to have her incision stitched on the third morning in the hospital. It happened that I was taking Jak to school when they took her. She was alone, still in great pain, and couldn’t eat. That morning was difficult. Yet throughout the procedure an older nurse held Julie’s hand, wiped her tears, and then said to her in Thai, “God bless you.” The first believer she met in this Christian hospital, and just when she needed encouragement the most. This nurse angel would not leave her side until the procedure was finished and the orderlies came to get Julie to take her to her room. She laid her hands on Julie and prayed for her. Her final exhortation to Julie in English, “Be strong!”
No comments:
Post a Comment