The four grandchildren arrived and were all wanting breakfast. Now, breakfast
was hard because no two wanted to eat the same thing. One would eat eggs, the
other toast, etc. It was always such a rush and Sharon was always more than
happy to have it out of the way. She was still experiencing some shortness of
breath, and now there was some discomfort in her chest. She was not at all sure
what was going one. She grabbed a Prilosec, thinking it might be her hernia
acting up.
An hour later after much prayer the Prilosec did not seem to be helping at all.
The pain only got worse and the pressure got heavier to where her breathing was
labored. She picked up the nearby phone and called the school where her daughter
taught. She told the secretary that she needed her daughter right away, as she
had to go to the doctor.
The school was only a couple of blocks from the house so Sharon's daughter
arrived quickly. Sharon had already made a call to her Pastor asking him to take
her to the Doctor. The Pastor was there in a matter of minutes.
The pastor prayed with Sharon on the way to the doctor's office. It seemed that
the eight miles was a very long trip this time for Sharon. The prayer did help
her to calm down but not being sure just what was going on, she was very
concerned. When they arrived at the Doctor's office, she was taken immediately
in and they started an EKG. As the Doctor watched the paper clicking out of the
machine, he began to look worried. He looked up and said, "Well, Sharon do you
have a preference to a certain hospital?"
Sharon smiled. "No, I am not too crazy about any of them, why?"
Her Doctor gave a half smile and said, "Your EKG is not normal. There is
something going on that is not right. We need to get this checked out now."
The Doctor asked his nurse to get the Pastor and bring him back to the room.
When Pastor arrived, the Doctor asked if he would pray for her. Pastor James
said nothing as he took hold of Sharon's hand and the Doctor's hand.
"Sharon, we are going to ask the Lord to touch you and grant unto you His
peace."
The prayer did help for the fear that was consuming her seemed to ease, but the
heaviness was so strong by now that she struggled to breath. The Dr. put another
nitro-glycerine pill under her tongue and that did ease the discomfort. He had
to do this three times--once every five minutes or so.
When the ambulance arrived, they loaded her onto the stretcher. They started an
IV and started to monitor her very closely. Everything seemed to be a blur to
her. They took her to a near-by hospital but they decided that she needed to be
in a bigger hospital that would have the necessary facilities. This all seemed
like a dream, a very bad dream.
Sharon was taken to a big hospital in a city 60 miles from her home. She was put
in ICU. In a short time her family arrived at the hospital. She was in and out
of consciousness and not sure just what was happening to her. She could feel a
pulling and a tugging as if something was pulling her down. She struggled and
tried to pull away from whatever this was, but to no avail. She fought until she
was exhausted and she felt she had no fight left in her.
Sharon cried out, "Lord Jesus, Help Me!" It was then she saw a shield that
seemed to surround her and she felt a Presence. She knew the Lord was with her
and that evil forces were trying to pull at her and take her life. But The Lord
stopped them. The forces were hitting hard and the pain was so bad, but they
could only go so far. The Lord was protecting her. There was pain and she was
suffering but the Lord was in control and He would not allow them to take her
life. Exhausted, Sharon fell against the pillows. She felt the presence of the
Lord and knew He was with her. She knew all would be well. There may be rough
times ahead but with the Lord by her side, she would handle them.
Sharon was in the hospital seven days. They had done a heart catheterization on
her and the bleeding did not stop so that caused some concern. Finally, after a
battery of tests and examinations she was told that her heart was diseased and
there was nothing they could do for her but give her medication.. Everything the
Doctor said was negative. He had nothing positive to say. As she listened to him
she said a prayer. "Oh Lord, create in me a new heart. They say this one is so
bad, so I know all is possible with you, so give me a new heart, one that is
well and in good shape, in Jesus' name, amen."
Sharon searched out a Cardiologist who was closer to her home and made an
appointment with him. She was on so much medication and needed to see a doctor
often to have her situation evaluated.
Three weeks later she went to see him. He kept her on the same medication,
telling her things were looking up.
It was not two weeks later, early in the morning that the heaviness came again.
She knew this was the same as before and immediately fear consumed her. She did
not mess around. She called her daughter and they went immediately to the
emergency room. They sent her on to the hospital and put her in ICU on a
nitro-drip. The Doctor came and ordered another heart catheterization to be
done.
She informed him she was not having another one of those done. Her experience
from the last one was very fresh on her mind. The first one had caused her
multiple problems and much pain. There was no way she was going through that
again.
The Doctor insisted that this had to be done so they could see just what was
going on. Her family insisted that she have this done and she said she would
pray about it. She had no peace about this at all. She prayed all day, and with
the insistence of the doctor and the coaxing of her family she agreed to have it
done, but not without reservations.
The next morning the procedure was scheduled and Sharon prayed for peace. She
was taken to the Catherization room and a nurse walked over to her and took her
hand.
"This will be all right. I see where you had a very bad time the last time this
was done, but this time will be different for we are going to ask the Lord to
direct the Doctor."
She looked at her and said, "Are you a Christian?"
"Both your nurses are Christians and we will both be in agreement with you that
this will go smoothly and all will be fine. How would that be?
Sharon could only nod. She whispered, "Thank you, Lord." It was then that the
peace she had been praying for came over her.
This time the procedure was very different. Everything went smoothly and she
just rested in the Lord and let Him direct the hands of the doctor. Before she
knew it, it was over with.
That afternoon the doctor came into her. He took hold of her hand and said, "I
really cannot explain this, but the pictures we took of your heart look great.
We can find nothing wrong with your heart. When compared with your other film,
it does not even look like the same heart. It's like a miracle."
Sharon broke down and cried. The entire family cried. For indeed this was a
miracle! God had created in her a new heart and He even had given proof to the
sceptics, for they had the before and after films to show just what He had done.
The whole family bowed in prayer and thanksgiving. Giving Jesus, the Jehovah
Rophe all glory and honor and praise that He alone deserves. He had touched her
heart and He had given her a new heart. And even if He had not done this, Sharon
knew that He was with her and would never leave her. She had the blessed
assurance that He is still on the throne and in complete control.
The films were given to Sharon's family doctor, who is a Christian, to use to
show that Jesus is still the same. He still heals and He has not changed. What a
testimony He has given to Sharon and her family. And they tell anyone who will
listen!! He is still the Healer.
Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
Sharon Niese [email protected]
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