Don’t Miss the Miracle: Trusting God When Plans Change
My mom and I anxiously waited through the long hours of Dad’s open heart surgery, only to find ourselves back in the hospital 36 hours after discharge, with his lungs full of blood clots. We spent the entire weekend at the hospital, enduring tests, medications, and blood transfusions, waiting for a Monday morning procedure to remove the clots and save his life.
Monday morning finally arrived. Dad was prepped and ready when our hope was shattered by the surgeon, “We aren’t going to do this procedure, it’s too risky. The cost outweighs the benefit.”
It felt as though the air in the room left with the surgeon. The three of us looked at one another struggling to understand what just happened. After a moment the shock gave way to a flood of emotions and tears started to flow. The doctor was just going to let my dad die from these clots. I was confused and questioning God. “Why is this happening? Why God?”
At that moment, I felt like Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha. The sisters had sent word to Jesus that his friend, Lazarus, was sick. The sisters just knew Jesus would drop everything and come running to heal their brother, Jesus’ friend. But Jesus didn’t, declaring to his disciples, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” (John 11:4b NLT). Jesus stayed where he was for two more days (John 11:5).
God’s Interruptions Can Either Derail or Define Us
When Jesus finally arrived, Lazarus had been in the grave for four days, and Jesus wept. (John 11:35). The sisters berated Jesus telling Him that He could have healed their brother had He been there. Why hadn’t Jesus arrived sooner?
The answer? If Jesus had healed Lazarus immediately, we would have missed the miracle.
The miracle? Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, healing him wholly and completely.
God interrupted our plans that day. He didn’t heal my dad through the procedure. Instead, God waited. God’s interruption that day confused and devastated me at first, but had He healed Dad then, I would have missed the miracle.
Trusting God When Plans Change
If the procedure had gone as scheduled, we might have lost my dad or attributed his healing to the surgeon alone. Instead, God’s way brought the glory undeniably to Him and Him alone. My dad’s recovery from blood clots without surgery was a miracle; we were told surgery was his only hope. God, and God only, was responsible for the healing. Friends worldwide joined us in prayer, and these prayers healed our souls and gave my mom and me strength during difficult times. It’s been almost a year since his original surgery was scheduled, and my dad is doing well.
Today, instead of trying to force God to do your will, trust that His interruptions are refining you. When God interrupts our plans, He brings complete healing, and you may just witness a miracle while you are waiting.
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Are you in a situation where it’s hard to imagine God intervening? We hope this episode is a comfort to you: If Hope Feels Beyond Your Reach – 271
