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Prayer Corner

October 2024

Submitted by Deb Kenes

He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled” (Mark 14:33). There, in that garden of crisis, Jesus “offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence” (Hebrews 5:7).

How many of us have called frantically to Jesus Christ in the midst of a crisis?  Even agnostics have been known to do that.  Fear is a great motivator.  Yet.....we are also called to NOT fear but trust.  How do we do that when our hearts are banging like a screen door on a summer day?  

Our summer vacation took a turn this year.  We (my kids and grandkids and my son-in-law's mom) normally go to the beach in Lewes, DE for a week.  We also usually stay in the same lovely restored old home that is just a short walk to downtown and a hop and skip from the local hospital (BeeBe).  When we first started staying there, we often commented on the fact that we could hear helicopters landing at all times of the day or night, bringing in accident/stroke/heart attack victims. This year the house was not available (recently sold) so we had to go elsewhere.  We found a nice roomy big house near Cape Henlopen and the Cape May ferry.  We went to the beach on Sunday and the surf was loud and pounding and strong.  The grandbabies and Brian (SIL) had their boogie boards along and loved riding the waves into the beach.  Everyone was tired but happy the first day.  Monday, my son, Daniel, and my grandkids decided to go to the beach early and get a "choice" location for the canopy and set up.  The rest of us showed up later and again the surf was loud and rough.  Brian had bought Daniel a boogie board the prior evening so he too could ride the waves!  All went well until about noon.  I was looking for Louie, my grandson, and panicking that I didn't see him.  I finally found him down the beach on the sand. About that time, Lauren was yelling "something is wrong with Dan". We all started running toward the lifeguards who were pulling him out of the ocean.  His face was a bloody mess - forehead and chin skin ripped off, his eye bloody and swollen, his neck hurt, not able to lift his arm, barely conscious. They got him into a beach wheelchair and headed toward the parking lot.  They had called an ambulance and Lauren and I were going to follow it while the rest got everything packed up and in our cars.  My heart was beating like that screen door while my mouth repeated familiar prayers.  Thankfully the hospital was only 10 minutes away.  The ER folks quickly got a neck brace on him (after trying three different sizes) and started bloodwork and x-rays and ultrasounds.  His eye socket was broken but still in place. He had a gash in his mouth that required stitches, after an MRI, a hematoma on the inside of his cervical spine.  That was the most concerning injury to them.  If it increased in size, it would require a touchy surgery through his mouth to attend to the hematoma.  At this point, they decided he needed a trauma ONE level hospital (they were a three).  He was transferred on Monday night to Jefferson hospital in Philly.  We followed Tuesday morning. Again, luckily, I have a nephew in Philly who would meet the ambulance there and be with Dan until we got there.  At Jefferson, he was in intensive care for three days.  They did additional testing and caring and administering. They were efficient and kind and kept us in the loop.  Another MRI showed that the hematoma was diminishing.  They also discovered the gash in his mouth and got that stitched.  We were allowed to bring him home on Friday.  Halleluiah!  He has spent this week going to follow up appointments with his PCP, OIP, and his eye doctor.  He goes back to Philly on Thursday for a spine/neck recheck and on Friday has another MRI to try to figure out the shoulder pain.  

While there were so many negatives last week, there were also a lot of positives.  I have never believed in the "it takes a village" concept.  I always thought it gave parents a way out of responsibility.  However, when I think about this - it took a team of lifeguards, a plethora of nurses and doctors, a cocoon of family and friends to come through this.  Daniel thought he had lost his eye and broken his arm when he was being tumbled by Mother Nature. Not true. He is very claustrophobic (like me) about MRIs and the hospitals were good about making sure he could get and take the tests.  His hematoma diminished instead of increased. My SIL was able to get Darryl and I a hotel room just two blocks from the hospital.  We had parked our car in a parking facility next to the hotel.  At one point, we were not able to find it.  We thought it had been stolen and were frantically looking for it for an hour.  A kind lady took pity on Darryl as he wandered the lot looking and finally directed us to a different side of the lot that we thought we were already on.  Car found. Because we had all driven, Daniel's car needed to be driven home.  Lauren was going to drive it and Brian would drive their car.  Daniel's battery was dead on Saturday when they went to leave.  They found a guy to come and recharge it, it didn't need to be replaced.  So many blessings.

God knows how we feel in these situations.  If we look at the scriptures noted above, we see that even Jesus was emotional and tired and maybe even a bit scared at the events he was walking toward.  However, he believed he KNEW that his Father above was walking beside him and residing in him and his will needed to be done.  This is where we need to be when our crises rise up and smack us in the face. We WILL have valleys, so it also helps to be familiar with some verses that speak to us in times of trouble. Reciting scripture is a healthy way to calm our nerves.  We need to be steeped in prayer - making this a habit rather than an occasional appeal. We need to acknowledge our dependence on others - not as weaklings but as an example of God's using our hands and feet to help one another.  

I am blown away by God's goodness and mercy.  I am in awe of his care and love for us.  I am in his grip.  

Father God, I fall to my knees in thanksgiving for your abiding love.  How many times have I missed thanking you for preventing something harmful from happening?  I ask your forgiveness. Help me to build the character you want for me.  Help me to be more aware of needs around me and once I am aware, filled with action rather than indifference. I pray that I might practice my faith in a more defined and apparent way. Use me according to your will.  In the name of your obedient son, Jesus Christ. Amen