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You know what we're really good at? Calling on God when we are in trouble.
Thankfully, he is merciful and kind, and he responds to our desperate cries for help, even when we have squandered massive amounts of the preceding times ignoring him and acting like he wasn't there.
I am glad God is so merciful. That's how I got saved. Finally, at the end of my rope, I called out to God because I had nowhere else to go. To my amazement, he actually answered me. What a guy! What a friend! What a God!
In my hour of deepest despair, he reached down to rescue me, even though I had spent my whole life up to that point running away from him. That is love. That is mercy. That is kindness. That is humility.
That is my God.
I have a good friend, Dennis, who I have known since high school. We've shared a lot of ups and downs over the years. He was best man at my wedding. I was best man at his wedding. His family is like a second family to me.
Dennis is a lot like I used to be: a decent enough person, but not really interested in getting too worked up about the "God" thing. He has kept God at arm's length for a long time, and lived his life pretty much however he saw fit. Understand please, I'm not putting him down. I've been there, done that, and have the scars to prove it.
Dennis is a good guy, and he believed that God existed out there somewhere, but like most of us, he didn't want God interfering with his life. He had it under control - or so he thought until recently.
Remember the lyrics to that Don Henley song?
"In a New York Minute, everything can change."
Last fall, Dennis fell on some slippery porch steps and broke his back. He spent over a month in agonizing pain, unable to walk, before he finally found a doctor who correctly diagnosed his problem and scheduled him for surgery.
He endured two major operations, spent about two weeks in recovery at the hospital, and then another three weeks in physical therapy at a rehab unit. He is home now, but has to wear a back brace every day for several months until his back has totally healed. By the time he goes back to work, he will have spent close to nine months living without a paycheck. It's going to take him a long time to catch up on his debts.
I believe that God used this awful experience to break down Dennis' resistance. When everything was going well, he didn't feel any need for God. Then suddenly his world collapsed, his future was in jeopardy, and God seemed a lot more important.
Dennis was upset. He prayed. He cried out to God. He asked me to pray with him and for him, which I was glad to do. This awful, sobering experience brought my friend face to face with the fragility of life, and he called out to God as a result of it.
Well, God is good! Every prayer we lifted up to heaven on Dennis' behalf was answered.
The surgery went well, there were no complications, and his rehab was ahead of schedule. He was home before Christmas, and is able to walk around (with a brace and cane) and care for himself, for the most part. His prognosis is good, and he should be totally recovered, with his back stronger than before, by the beginning of summer. He should be working again by then with no physical restrictions.
Now the testing will begin. Having found a merciful friend in God during his darkest hours of need, will my friend remember his new friend when everything is sunshine and lollipops again? Will the gratitude he felt for the Lord after his successful surgery fade away over time, or will he realize that God was giving him a wake-up call?
Backsliding is the easiest thing in the world. Anybody can do it. Being faithful takes desire, effort and determination.
God has been good to my friend. He answered, "Yes" to every prayer request we made for Dennis' recovery.
Now I have new requests to make of the almighty, merciful and lovingly patient judge of all creation: That Dennis will not forget him as he recovers; That this time will be a turning point that causes Dennis to turn his life over to God.
Life is uncertain. No one knows what tomorrow may bring. This journey is way too crazy for me to even think about trying to live it on my own. I'm not too proud to admit that I need God to sustain me. Without him, we venture out on our own in a dangerous and wicked world.
I don't know what the future may hold, but I do know who holds the future. And as Dennis can testify, a lot can happen in a New York Minute.
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