Finally, at eight o’clock, it was time for Matthew to make his world debut. The doctor broke Shelsea’s water and deployed a catheter to clear the pathway for Matthew’s removal. By then, she was ten centimeters. Twenty minutes later, she was assuming the position and the doctor was telling her to push.
Everything was going well as she followed the doctor’s directions, “Push. . .push. . .you’re doing great,” but something appeared to be wrong. The baby’s heart monitor indicated distress and the blood pressure was dropping rapidly.
“We need to do a C-section, now!” the doctor said. “Get her unplugged. . .stat!” At the same time, two people in scrubs burst into the room, and in seconds, had unhooked Shelsea from the monitor.
“What’s wrong?” Grandma asked. She was becoming frantic. Her chest felt like a lead ball had just crashed into her.
As they wheeled Shelsea out of the room, the doctor said, “The baby is in distress.” Her few words trailed off as they left.
My daughter remained in her chair emotionally and physically paralyzed, wondering what in the world was going on. She didn’t know whether to cry, scream, or faint. Only pure raw courage and the presence of mind kept her from the latter. She couldn’t move or speak.
The doctors had just taken her daughter away and now what used to be a room full of joy, was now a big empty spot where the bed used to be, the only evidence of which were the disconnected wires laying all over the floor. Her grandma-ship was apparently in jeopardy. This was the worst moment of her life.
My daughter’s fiancé ran to the waiting room to update us. I, along with the others, hurried to room four where the Grandma-to-be was still sitting and uncontrollably crying, and justifiably so. We all huddled to cry out to God. Great grandma looked up at me with tears in her eyes and asked for prayer. I had already started praying for my granddaughter and great grandson.
During a time of fear, worry, and doubt, we CAN count on God through trust and prayer. As I prayed, I knew in my spirit that God would not bring Shelsea and Matthew to this point just to let something happen to this baby. . .or her, and I prayed to that effect. God was letting me know in the Spirit that He had things under control and to keep praying the persistent prayer of Hannah.
When we are troubled, we need to seek the one who can relieve all of our anxieties. We need to believe God’s plan and that Jesus is our strength and Hightower. He is our source for everything. He is Jehovah-Jireh, our provider; He is Jehovah-Nissi, our banner; He is Jehovah-Rohi, our shepherd; He is Jehovah- Shalom, our peace; He is Jehovah-Shammah, who is always there, and He is Jehovah-Rophe, our healer to the glory of God the Father.
It only seemed like minutes later and we received word that little Matthew was doing just fine and so was his mother. The cord had wrapped around his neck, which happens one out of every three births, and it was causing all the distress in the delivery. I prayed to God there on the spot, “Thank you Jesus for protecting my granddaughter and thank you for saving my great grandson from certain death.”
Mark 11:34 says, “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” James 4:2 says that “. . .yet ye have not, because ye ask not,” and Philipians 4:6 tells us, “. . .with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
We first need to believe that what we ask for, God will, in fact, answer. After we settle it in the spirit, we need to petition God in prayer. Finally, we need to thank Him for his intervention in our behalf. Thanking God in advance is the best evidence of faith.
Matthew is not only alive and well today because of first, the grace, and mercy of Almighty God, but he is alive and well because of a knowledgeable, quick acting doctor with a great staff. However, and thank you Jesus, I am not going to discount the power of prayer, nor am I going to discount a mother’s courage and love for her child (and grandchild), who literally stood by her daughter’s side throughout the whole nine-months. Praise the Lord God Almighty. . .and for answered prayer! Hallelujah!
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NEXT WEEK: “Face to Face with God” I tell the story of an experience where I came face to face with the Lord.
See you next Monday and thanks for stopping by,
Your Host
James Lindquist
Christian Author
http://www.jameslindquist.net
4 comments:
Thanks for sharing this story of answered prayer, Jim. I like the photos too. Matthew must surely be loved a double portion after his ordeal.
Karen
Nice story Jim. We had a similar situation with our newest grandson and a problem with his lung development.
Pray seems to me to be to be sticky wicket. Often it is used, sometimes unintentionally, as a selfish tool for our own benefit. Seldom does one hear a person genuinely pray "God's will be done" except as a tag line at the end of the prayer to cover themselves just in case. Most often we pray for an "outcome" that serves our personal interest, not so much our best interest.
In addition, in God's sovereignty, if events are set according to His will, than prayer is a means for us to change that will. Which immediately goes to immutability.
Anyway, nice piece.
Praise God! another little lamb for the fold. I like what C.S. Lewis says about prayer. "I do not pray because I need help, I pray because I am helpless.I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It (prayer) doesn't change God; it changes me."
Sounds like some rough moments for a while. While prayer is always the answer through things like this and anything else we do learn also the grace that God has given each of His children. For such a time as this.
Look at all the blessings besides the Great Grand Baby. Look at the closeness of the family and the spirit reaching out to God.
I know one should never just accept the doctor's (this not meaning all doctors) saying there is no hope.
While in Montana my daughter got pregnant and the doctor she went to kept hinting through out her pregnancy for her to have an abortion (we did not know he was the major abortion doctor for that area) and she and I kept saying it wasn't an option. The doctor had told her that her placenta was separating from the uterus. He kept insisting the baby would die, clear up till the 7th month when Mary hemorrhaged and went into immediate labor. We called the Pastor of our church who met us there and the weather was so bad our vehicles were frozen and wouldn't start, so God brought our neighbors home earlier than normal from their church just at the time we either went to the hospital or mom and baby would die.
We raced through town an officer stopping us until he seen who was driving and saw the emergency. Then he escorted us the rest of the way to the hospital where the Pastor was waiting.
I went to the room with my daughter and the doctor came in after a while and said, "Well, the baby only has a 10% chance of survival and still he kept insisting on abortion.
We looked at him and then he told his staff to prep her for C-section. I told the doctor, "I'm sorry I do not accept that. He smirked, and I walked out so they could get her ready.
It happened that the delivery room was across the hall from the nursery so when Justen (named for Just in time ) was born they rand him from her room straight to the nursery with an awaiting oxygen sit up and the rest of the equipment. They said they had to give him oxygen and I said, "Well it won't be for long because his color is good and his cry was loud and strong." They said, "Oh no, all babies at this age have ling infections and he will need x-rays. So to put it short, the x-rays were taken, no problem with his lungs, he survived fine. We had spent the entire time in prayer and belief, and nothing was wrong with him, period. His weight was 3 lbs 10 ounces and he is 18 years old today. He still holds his Grandmothers hand just as tightly as he did my finger through his stay in the hospital, which was a month. But had we listened to man instead of trusting God and standing in faith through prayer this little child would have surely met his death.
I thank God for many miracles that God has blessed me with my children, grand children, and great grandchildren.
Love your blog..it brought back some sweet memories with the Lord. The blog itself, as usual, outstanding..God bless you and your loved ones.
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