Recollections and Reflections

That night she began to utter words. We were able to understand some of the things she was trying to say. Among the first words were: "HONEY, I SAW JESUS." When I thought about this at a later time, I could not help but recall the beatific smile that was on her face when she was being wheeled up to surgery. According to the doctors she had had a tough time in the catherization lab to the degree that they had to anesthetize her, but as they assured me, she would not remember a thing. They were wrong, for the one and only thing which she remembered was that she had seen Jesus. Later, when friends asked her to explain her experience she seemed to stumble for words and could not describe what she had experienced other than to say that she had actually seen Jesus. It reminded me somewhat of the words of the Apostle Paul when he was caught up into the third heaven and saw and heard things he could not utter (Cf. 2 Cor. 12:1-5). She could not remember very much, but she had no doubt that she had seen the Lord, and was disappointed that she was not allowed to stay, but had to come back to this earthly existence. Shortly after this a dear friend was trying to rationalize her experience, saying that it was a drug-related hallucinations, but she simply responded to him with firm conviction: "IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE WHAT YOU SAY, I SAW JESUS!" I interrupted and asked the friend what he would say to the apostle Paul with regard to his Damascus Road experience? Paul had seen "a light from heaven, above the brightnes of the sun." It was a glorious theophany of the Lord Jesus himself. In fact, when Paul asked: "Who art thou Lord?" he was told, "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest . . . ." (Acts 9:5). What could our friend say? What could he say in the light of Isaiah (Isa. 6:1)? Not much! Then, maybe a little too bluntly, I said, "It’s Shirley’s experience, so let her have her experience with the Lord. She certainly isn’t lying." He said no more. By Thursday she was recovering quite well and engaging in more prolonged conversation. The doctors were very pleased and said that she was not completely out of the woods, but that her recovery was looking better all the time. One nice surprise at this time was a visit from our lifelong English friends Norman and Carol Gidney. They arrived on the Thursday and were able to visit Shirley on the Friday. We all enjoyed a brief visit together and after Norman prayed they left but they were back again on Sunday. Joan felt she could leave on Friday, because she had her two young children back in Massillon who needed their mother. They had been staying with their other grandparents and were missing their mother, but praying every day for their grandmother Hudson. By this time I was allowed to spend as much time with Shirley as I wanted and I took every advantage of the opportunity. We also had visits from members of Shirley’s family, Norman and Carol Gidney, Pastor Rob Renberg of the Berean Bible Church in Holland, and also from Pastor Dan Hayden of the Grace Church in West Ottawa. All were a source of rich blessing; especially their prayers. Shirley was dismissed on Thursday which meant that she had been in the hospital almost two weeks. I remember the one young doctor who had been handling the catherization coming in to the room before we left, and I remember him standing at the foot of her bed looking intently at Shirley and slowly shaking his head. Very softly he said to her, "Young lady, you are a miracle." Amazingly, she made faster progress than I did after my open heart surgery. Needless to say, I am so grateful to the Lord. Maybe, just maybe, he will grant my desire to take me first. Rather selfish prayer when you think about it, but it is what I desire and sometimes prayer is motivated by sincere heartfelt desires. I had engraved in Shirley’s engagement ring the following reference from Holy Scripture: Psalm 37:4,5. Delight thyself also in the LORD, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. There are other recollections, but I have said enough about this matter and its time for a few reflections. During the fourteen days I was at the hospital, I spent a lot of time in the intensive care waiting room. Usually, during most of the day, it was full of people. They were from all walks of life. What an opportunity for ministry! How true are Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 1:3-5. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all mercies. Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them who are in any trouble, by the comfort with we ourselves are comforteth of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.