“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105
Two days after the stent was placed, I went home to recover. Six days later, on a Sunday, the most unexpected event in my life so far occurred. I was recovering well. Rena had gone to church, and I stayed home watching the live stream service. Worship and the sermon were awesome, with Pastor Steve preaching on being thankful. I reflected on how thankful I was for God’s presence and healing. During the altar call, I raised my hands and wept, thankful for His goodness.
That was when I experienced severe chest pain and significant tingling in my head and arms. God is God and I am not, but I prayed to Him over and over saying that I did not understand why this happened. Then I called 911.
During the ambulance ride, my first time riding in one, I explained to the EMTs what had happened and told them that I did not understand why it had happened. I had been praying and being blessed!
Back to the emergency room, back to tests. One cardiology resident said she had to ask what triggered the pain. The EMT reports indicated I had been watching an “emotionally intense TV show.” She wanted to know what in the world I had been watching. I told her.
Then I found out the ‘why’ during another heart catheterization on Monday. They found a 79% blockage that had previously been missed. Looking back to that altar call, weeping before God and thanking Him led to the ambulance ride and testing that found the second blockage, which otherwise would have been a future heart attack waiting to happen.
Then things became complicated. A stent could not be placed on the second blockage because of where it was located. It took the cardiology team three days to decide how to proceed. The only viable option was bypass surgery, complicated by an anticlotting drug I had received for the stent. That drug needed to clear my system before surgery and had to be replaced with an IV drug administered in the hospital. I lay in a hospital bed for five days waiting until surgery could be performed.
For one final hospital miracle, the bypass surgery had two options. Option one, open heart surgery, carried an eight-week recovery time because the breastbone would need to heal. Option two, robotic surgery, had a four-week recovery time, but robots are in high demand. Since I was lying in the hospital waiting for surgery with the looming risk of another heart attack, open-heart surgery was scheduled for a week later.
But if you have been paying attention, you know that God answers prayer. On the day of my surgery, an hour before my scheduled surgery time, a robot became available and was used for my surgery.
I had CABG surgery, also known as Coronary Artery Bypass Graft surgery. I am an ordinary person, but I am also a man of faith. This story of peace shows that ordinary people can receive extraordinary grace and mercy from our wonderful Savior, Jesus.
The scripture above says that God’s Word lights our path. We do not always see a beacon revealing the full road ahead. Sometimes there is just enough light to see one step at a time, and we trust Him as His will is revealed over time.
One of my favorite songs is “It Is Well with My Soul.” The first verse reminds us of peace like a river, even when sorrows roll like sea billows. “It is well with my soul,” just like the peace in that emergency room, is not based on a works scorecard. It is based on a relationship with Jesus Christ.
My testimony today is that peace like a river is already available for you. The Bethany story, the emergency room, and the unexpected rescue have proven that in my life. As you face obstacles big and small, what will your story be?