Have you ever suddenly found yourselves standing on Holy Ground? Like Moses, did it catch you by surprise?
The following story describes a time when God revealed his holiness to me in an ordinary hospital room. This encounter took place in the late 1990’s while I was practicing medicine in the Indianapolis area. I changed the patient name and the exact location purposefully in order to maintain her anonymity. Needless to say, this experience dramatically changed my view of God and how He answers prayer. I hope the telling of this story will move others to a deeper appreciation of the awesome power of God and a realization that prayer actually does work.
The Awakening
She looked small and frail, almost like a child, even though she was every bit of forty. Her chest rose and fell in rhythm as the ventilator forced breaths into her lungs. I reached for her hand. It felt warm but limp in my grasp. My thumb brushed across the bruise that formed around the IV protruding from her wrist. I know my sigh was audible as I turned to leave.
At that moment, Celia’s mother entered the room behind the nurse. We both watched as she moved to change an empty bag of fluid then exit without a word. Only the noise of the ventilator and the constant beep of the heart monitor broke the silence. All this effort for what? Celia remained in a coma with no sign of life.
I embraced her mother and we rocked gently in each other’s arms for several minutes before we spoke. This woman and I had become familiar companions as I made my daily rounds to the hospital and checked on her daughter. Numerous specialists and their entourage of students rotated in and out of the ICU over the course of her stay. As her family physician, I acted more like her cheerleader than her caregiver here. Every day I returned to see if there had been any change since the stroke. Two weeks passed but nothing.
A decision must be made today. The endotracheal tube couldn’t remain in her throat any longer since it could cause damage to the tissues. If Celia stayed on the ventilator, a tracheostomy would be placed in her neck. Earlier in the morning, her neurologist ran a scan looking for any brain activity. I held on to her mother’s hands as I took a step back.
“Did you hear the results of the test?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said with tears welling up in her eyes.
“And what are your thoughts?
“If there is no brain activity … if Celia is brain dead, I don’t want her to stay like this. I don’t think she would want it.” After a long pause she added, “I’ve made my decision.”
“Yes, I understand. I don’t believe she would choose to remain alive in this state either. You’re making the decision she would want.”
As I turned to leave, I reached for Celia once more and whispered, “Good-bye.”
While driving alone on my way back to the office, I cried out to God.
“Please, please don’t leave Celia in this vegetative state. When we pull the endotracheal tube and stop the ventilator, let her pass away peacefully or heal her.”
As this plea left my lips, I knew in my heart the answer God would give. I expected her to die.
The plan was to stop all life support the following morning after Celia was moved to a regular room from the ICU. To my surprise, when I arrived to do rounds, she was still unconscious but breathing on her own. How could this be? The damage to her brain was extensive. I reviewed the MRI films myself. This was impossible. But the next morning, she opened her eyes and by the third day, she asked for something to eat. Her mother and I were in awe and amazement.
I found her neurologist and told him what had transpired since her discharge from the ICU. In disbelief, he came to her room to witness her unprecedented recovery. He ordered another MRI scan and we both marveled that the films revealed a very different picture of her brain. It wasn’t normal but much of it was healed.
Celia looked up, greeting me with a crooked smile when I returned to her room to relay this information. Her mother and I stood at the end of her bed watching her. One side of her body remained weak but with her strong arm, she lifted the food to her mouth to eat. Never once did she choke. As she spoke with us, her voice was hoarse and weak from the two weeks on a ventilator. However, her words were logical and clear. I shook my head in wonder.
Her mother turned to me and said, “You and I both know this was a miracle.”
At her words, the Spirit of God invaded the room like the rush of a strong wind. Without warning, my legs trembled and my breath escaped me. I felt an overwhelming sense that we were standing on holy ground. I held on to Celia’s bed for stability.
God in His compassion and grace answered my prayer in a dramatic, unquestionable way. I expected my plea to result in Celia’s death, but God had another plan. Celia had a long, hard struggle ahead of her in rehab… but she was alive.
“Yes,” I said, “this certainly was a miracle.”
Moses saw the bush was on fire but was not burning up. “This is strange,” he thought. “Why isn’t the bush burning up? I will go closer and see.”
When the Lord saw that Moses was coming closer, he called to him from the middle of the bush and said, “Moses! Moses!”
He answered, “Yes, here I am.”
God said, “Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground.”
Exodus 3:2-5 Good News Bible
