I\u2019ve heard this verse many times. I\u2019ve even memorized this chapter at camp. But when I read through it last Sunday, I wondered at this verse. How can strength be ordained? So I looked up \u201cordained\u201d. It means \u201cappointed.\u201d Then I wondered, How can God be appointed strength from babies who can say nothing? One commentator said that it was because God\u2019s strength is made evident in our weakness. This made some sense but I still wondered at the meaning of it. And this I pondered off-and-on throughout the next two days.<\/p>\n
Then Tuesday morning happened. A call from the front gate said that a couple was wanting to bring their baby up to the clinic\u2014he had a stiff neck and couldn\u2019t talk. Well, most babies can\u2019t talk so we asked if he was breathing.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, yes, he\u2019s breathing. He just can\u2019t talk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOk. Bring him up.\u201d<\/p>\n
They arrived as the doctor did. He was about to show them into the waiting room when he suddenly saw the baby and thought, \u201cOh, this is not good.\u201d I was screening patients when the doctor came rushing into the clinic, saying, \u201cWe need to clear this area right now. We have an emergency\u2014a baby\u2019s having seizures.\u201d The patients I had been talking to quietly excused themselves to the waiting room as the scared parents came walking uncertainly into the room with their young baby in his father\u2019s arms and laid him on the bed. He was in constant evident seizure activity causing labored, barely adequate breathing and not very responsive though still awake. Dad said that this had already been going on for about half an hour. We began monitoring him closely, attempted to get an IV in, administered the few meds prescribed for his age that we could give and prepared for intubation should his breathing worsen, all the while praying that God would keep him breathing and stop the seizures. But the seizures did not stop and he was tiring. The doctor decided that it was time to head to the hausik\u2014they had the medication that the baby needed to stop his seizures and they are excellent at starting pediatric IVs.<\/p>\n
I scooped him up in my arms and headed out to the van, the doctor trailing us with the oxygen tank and the other nurse following. Through the car ride into town, I kept my hand on his little chest so as to monitor his breathing. He was fighting so hard, his little muscles so tense and spasming, his little lungs fighting to pull air in, and we all prayed that we wouldn\u2019t have to pull over to intubate, that he would keep breathing on his own. He became less responsive and more flaccid, his seizing became weaker. About a third of the way there, I suddenly wasn\u2019t feeling him pull much air in. I asked the doctor to listen. \u201cYes. He\u2019s still moving some air,\u201d was his answer but we didn\u2019t know for how much longer. When the car pulled up to the hospital, we were ready. The doctor jumped out and grabbed the oxygen tank, I followed with the baby still in my arms, my hand on his chest, followed by the other nurse and the boy\u2019s parents. After a brief check for the ER doctor, we announced to the nurse there that we were heading to the Pediatric ward and took off down the hallway only to find the half-door locked due to recent unrest surrounding the elections. However, a nurse soon heard our pounding and yelling and quickly admitted us before going off to grab the needed medication.<\/p>\n
Laying him down on the treatment table in the exam room, I heard him begin to fuss a little! \u201cThank you, Lord!\u201d I thought. \u201cPlease keep him breathing!\u201d The nurse returned immediately with the medication. She poked the shot in and he began to cry\u2014a real, honest, loud cry! I almost broke down crying myself when I heard him. I remember leaning over him saying, \u201cMi hamamas mi harim yu cry.\u201d (\u201cI am so happy to hear you cry.\u201d) His mother looked a little confused by my statement but I didn\u2019t care. If he could cry he was awake, aware and breathing! Within seconds his seizing stopped and his chest relaxed and he began to take full, deep, easy breaths! I couldn\u2019t get over how different his little chest felt. God had freed his breathing!<\/p>\n
Without a history of seizures in this child, the most probable cause was severe infection leading to encephalitis. The doctor quietly said that it was not likely that the child would survive even though his seizing had stopped. He was still a very sick little boy.<\/p>\n
We left then, relieved to have heard him cry and to leave him in the care of others better prepared to treat him, but with heavy hearts, not sure what the next 24 hours would bring for him and his parents. I could not get over the difference I felt in his little chest. Throughout the whole ordeal I (and the others!) had been praying nonstop. I felt full assurance that God had heard me and complete, full peace that God was in control and, as He is always good, would do what was best no matter the outcome. And then to feel that chest loosen and him breathing freely, hearing him cry\u2014that was one of the best gifts God has ever given me. I know that my God hears me. How awesome is that?!<\/p>\n
Finding myself at the hausik again the next evening, I was able to look in on our little baby and his mom. I wondered if they would still be there, if he was even still alive. When I first saw her, she was sitting up resting against the wall with a small uncertain smile on her face and was not holding the baby. I thought, \u201cHe must still be very sick and laying on the bed beside her.\u201d But as I got closer I saw the most beautiful thing I\u2019ve ever seen in my life\u2014a bouncing baby boy who gave me his biggest toothless smile, eyes sparkling, before giggling and rolling playfully away! God had spared him and healed him! They were going home the next day!
\nThat is what Psalms 8:2 means. Through the weakness and helplessness of an infant God can prove Himself stronger than any enemy\u2014stronger than sickness, infection, seizures and death. He is, after all, God.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I\u2019ve heard this verse many times. I\u2019ve even memorized this chapter at camp. But when I read through it last Sunday, I wondered at this verse. How can strength be ordained? So I looked up \u201cordained\u201d. It means \u201cappointed.\u201d Then I wondered, How can God be appointed strength from babies who can say nothing? One […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1120,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-674","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized","7":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/tobi-magill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/tobi-magill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/tobi-magill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/tobi-magill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1120"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/tobi-magill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=674"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/tobi-magill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/tobi-magill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/tobi-magill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/tobi-magill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}