God is in the Miracle Business . . .

At least once a year, I have to tell this story because it reminds me afresh of God’s grace … poured out on me.  Also, so many folks ‘add in’ over the course of a year to the Morning Briefings distribution, that I want them to know of this miraculous occurrence in my life.  Because here’s the thing~  when you and I come face to face with God’s miraculous power, it changes everything—and I mean, everything.

It was the Fall of 2000, and our family of six had just moved to San Clemente, (California), from the San Francisco Bay Area.  About a month after we moved into our house, our two-year-old, Danny, came walking into my bedroom, and he was limping.  This was a kid who could already manage a skateboard pretty well, so it was most unusual that he didn’t even want to walk by mid-morning. 

I found a pediatrician, who looked him over and said, “Oh there’s nothing wrong with your boy, except for a little ear infection; we’ll put him on Zithromax, and he’ll be fine.”  He limped the next day, and the next day after that; on Thursday, I took him back to the doctor, now with swelling around his eyes as well.  The doctor again told me he could find nothing wrong.  He patted me on the back, and sent me home, assured that nothing was really wrong with Danny.

On Sunday evening, when I took him upstairs to give him a bath, his diaper was drenched with dark red blood.  The doctor said ‘pack your bag and take him to the hospital—he is very sick.’  I soon learned that his kidneys had failed, but our local children's hospital could not diagnose what had caused it, or give us any prognosis for getting well. His blood pressure, sodium, potassium, and cholesterol were off the charts.  The normal benchmarks for the kidneys: BUN-normal is 5-20; Danny’s 83.  Creatinine: 0.2-0.6; Danny’s 1.3.  Tests, IVs—no answers; sent us home after six days with a very sick boy.

That week, I left the hospital to attend my daughter’s high school volleyball game, where a woman I did not know approached me and told me she knew about my sick little boy . . . “Honey,” she said, “We’re gonna ask God for a miracle.”  We bowed our heads, and that’s just what she prayed—that God would do a miracle, and heal my little guy.

We had to go back for tests on Monday, and early Tuesday morning, we got the call that Danny was in serious trouble because he had lost so much blood.  We were to take him to a larger children's hospital, ICU, immediately.  They readied him for a needle biopsy, but then we waited and waited, trying to console him with a silly pacifier and picture books, while he was meanwhile saddled with IVs in both arms and legs.  Finally, a team of hematologists came in and said they couldn’t do it—he had a bleeding disorder as well, and would bleed to death on the table.  They scheduled him for surgery the next day.

THIS was the day that I met God—in the surreal place that is the pediatric ICU ward.  I mean I met him in his Word—held him at his word, and leaned on his promises like my mama had taught me to do and to sing when I was a wee child.  The renal biopsy the next morning went off without a hitch.  But again, we were sent home with no diagnosis and no prognosis—lots of medication, including steroids and blood pressure meds. He was continuing to lose blood, and the best we could hope for would be kidney transplants.

Finally, on Monday evening, the kidney specialist called.

“Well, this has been most unusual from the start,” the Israeli-trained Jewish nephrologist said.  “Danny does indeed have a kidney disorder—actually, three of them." (Acute Tubular Necrosis, Post-infectious Nephritis, and an allergic reaction to Zithromax).   "But all will reverse themselves, will not require treatment, and will not leave lasting damage.”  I stood there in my driveway in what can only be called a ‘holy moment’…  “Dr. Ben Ezzer,” I said, “I would like to think that God has done a miracle…”  She was very quiet for a moment, and then said, “I would say you are 100 percent correct!”

Danny’s miracle was spread over a couple months’ time—meaning that he was not healed instantly—but then, he was well, completely well.  He was not just well, but ever since, he’s been kinda like a maverick—all boy, daring, great athlete, and funny as all get out—you get the idea.  [A little more on this tomorrow...]

So, here’s the question: 

WHAT ARE YOU TRUSTING GOD FOR?

WHAT MIRACLE WOULD GOD DO IN YOUR LIFE IF YOU ASKED HIM?

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…”  James 1.17

“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save…!”   Zephaniah 3.17

Maybe now is the time to ask God for a miracle.

Christine

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