He moves in and amongst His people.
Published on April 20, 2007 By KFC Kickin For Christ In Religion
I recently wrote about our personal God which, of course, got mixed reviews. I cannot explain this with reason and logic. I know that even tho I do, at times, try to explain him knowing it can't really be done. Here's another example of God's divine intervention in our lives that just played out this week, actually yesterday and today.

It actually begins last September. Our Associate Pastor and his wife and my husband and I went to a Pastor's conference in VT. I think I wrote about it at the time. Anyhow, we were put into groups. In Jeff and Julie's group they met a Pastor and his very sickly wife. Her kidneys were failing and she was in desparate need of a transplant. Julie felt convicted to be tested. She just met this woman never knowing or hearing about her otherwise.

The testing involved many months of hurdles they had to leap thru. They visited doctor after doctor traveling three hours each way for every visit over the course of this time. In the end, after Julie was tested, probed, examined in every which way, she was declared a perfect match!! This in itself was unbelievable. She was very led and convicted to do this the day she met this lady back in September.

Well the date was set. It was to be near the end of March. The day before the surgery she went in for pre-op counseling and they took her cholesterol only to find it was sky high. Well, what happened is, she had a bacon cheeseburger minutes before this test because she was absolutely starving having no idea this would be tested or that this would affect her in any way. They had to leave their home in the pre dawn hours and the long wait in the waiting room resulted in her sending her husband to McDonalds down the street.

So the surgery was called off. She felt so guilty. Alot was done in this planning involving both families. On our end, Julie & Jeff's two small kids had to be taken care of. We had two weeks of meals all planned for them by the ladies of the church and many other things were set up in view of this pending surgery. Also we were wondering where God was in all this. This all had been bathed in prayer for months. It seemed as tho he was leading them here, but now what?

During that week of what was supposed to be the surgery, the recipiant's mother died. So now we're thinking it was God's grace in this woman's life to be able to be there for her family instead of a hospital bed recovering from major surgery. Are we rationalizing or is it true? Are we looking for God to be in this? Or is he really right here by our sides during all this?

So the new date was set. It would be Wed April 18th. And it went off without a hitch....or so we thought. At first it everything looked good. We got the news all was well. Within hours the kidney started to fail. Nobody knew why. They were scrambling trying to figure out why. The two Pastors got together with the local church down there and had a prayer meeting. They were at the point of saying if this is the end of her life so be it. The Pastor had accepted that maybe it wasn't to be. They prayed God's will.

Alot of times God brings us to that point where we realize we are not in control. He is. I mean, we say it but do we actually know it to be true from our deepest recesses of our soul? It's only when we give it up to him, that he shows us the miracles of what he will do because of our faith in him. This is where the rubber meets the road for many of us who believe in him.

Well right around this time a cardio vascular surgeon just happened to walk by (not involved in this operation ) popping his head into the OR. He heard the news, checked out the situation and suggested they check the arteries out. Sure enough, it wasn't the kidney but the artery leading to the kidney. So they put the kidney on ice, took a vessel from her leg and inserted it into her left side where the kidney was supposed to go. In the meantime, the kidney had to be reinserted before they could fix the artery so they inserted and hooked it up to her right side instead while they worked. Evidently the kidney could only stay on ice for so long. Immediately the kidney turned all pink and in working order. They decided to leave it there in her right side after all.

God is good. So far everything is in great working order. It's like it all turned around 180 degrees. Last night it looked really grim. Today, many are rejoicing in yet another answer to prayer. God does answer and work in the heart and minds of his people.

I can't explain it but I know he's involved in my life as I believe my own husband and sons are. He's made himself real and personal to me and those around me that love him like I do.




Comments
on Apr 20, 2007
A wonderful story, KFC. The world has millions of such stories. They warm our hearts, offer hope and inspiration, and in general, make us feel good. You believe God speaks to you. This is wonderful. I believe God reveals himself in our world in every detail, both good and horrible. I call this a holy life, a life that teaches us to treat everything and everyone with as much respect as we can muster.

I think when a Christian suggests that God wants us to get out of ourselves or something like that, that Christian is saying the same thing we Buddhists say, let self drop away. when we are behaving then without self, whether it be for God or universe, we are in his service.

Be well.
on Apr 20, 2007
Although I am not religious by any stretch of the imagination I know for a fact that God has and still does have his hand on my shoulder guiding me on my way to spread the message that God is alive and well.
on Apr 20, 2007
I call this a holy life, a life that teaches us to treat everything and everyone with as much respect as we can muster.


This is good Sodaiho. I agree with you here. I've been convicted for quite some time by the words of Peter in the NT. You may agree with him as well. He said: "Honor every man" and another version says. "Show proper respect to everyone."

The two words that speak to my heart is "every" and "everyone." No matter what the other person believes I must honor and respect them. I don't have to agree. I don't have to further their ideas but I am called to honor and respect them.

I know for a fact that God has and still does have his hand on my shoulder guiding me on my way to spread the message that God is alive and well.


Amen. I can concur. Well said.
on Apr 20, 2007
I am happy for your faith. May it continue to bring joy and happiness to you.
on Apr 20, 2007
Thank you for sharing this story.
on Apr 20, 2007
KFC, thank you for sharing the Pastor's wife story. Even though it's so personal to those involved, it touches each and every one of us and helps open our hearts, to see with our hearts.

This story shows us that God is not a distant God that He is close to us in His blessedness. "Ask and it shall be given you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you" St.Matt 7:7.

As you said, trying to explain God knowing it can't really be done yet, we see and explain God's divine intervention in our life and in the lives of others all around us.
on Apr 20, 2007
I am happy for your faith. May it continue to bring joy and happiness to you.


Thanks. I'm in it for the duration, come rain or shine.....

Thank you for sharing this story


KFC, thank you for sharing the Pastor's wife story. Even though it's so personal to those involved


Thanks, I got Jeff's permission to share this. He just called with an update. The recipiant is doing blessedly well. The doctors are very impressed with her condition right now. It's just amazing that Julie was so convicted from the get go and turned out to be a perfect match. Even her family were not good matches for her.




on Apr 20, 2007

It's just amazing that Julie was so convicted from the get go and turned out to be a perfect match. Even her family were not good matches for her.

Wow and double wow.

Thank God Julie was obedient with her conviction.

Good on her.

on Apr 21, 2007
Thank God Julie was obedient with her conviction.


Yes, and as it got closer to the big day, the more nervous she started to become but went ahead anyway. She knew this was a God thing and she'd be ok in the end. She's coming home today and she's doing great. So far so good with the kidney in Renee also.

Another wow to all this is that Julie just moved here over a year ago. That conference we went to was the first for all of us. So it's just the whole timing thing and how everything just fit together even including the first canceled surgery was amazing.

God is Good.