There Was Jesus (Part 1)

AUGUST 24, 2020

By Julie Lockyer, Scheduler/Receptionist

It was November 2000. A day that will always be etched in my heart. 

I was looking forward to picking up my dad from the hospital. He just had surgery to remove a blockage in his colon three days earlier. But then I got a call from the hospital saying he had sepsis and that I needed to come right away before they wheeled him back to surgery. The excitement I had earlier in the day had turned into fear. Would I make it in time to see him? 

I hopped into my car to rush to the hospital. But on my way there, the car started to slow down and all of a sudden it stalled on me!

Even with the engine dead, I was able to get off Likelike Highway and turn onto Kam IV Road. I let my car coast down the street and was able to park it under a tree. Across the street was a school, where I was able to make a phone call to one of Dad’s friends to ask her if she could pick me up and drive me to Dad’s apartment, so I could grab his car to go to the hospital. She said yes.

I made it to the hospital just in time to see him before they took him into surgery. By then I was frustrated and scared. When could I come up to breathe? My dad only had a 50% chance of making it through. It was a time for praying and pleading with God to please save him. The doctor came out a couple hours later and told me my dad made it, but he was still in bad shape. It was going to be a wait-and-see journey ahead.

Looking back now, I see how God had His hand on the situation the whole time. My car stalled on me but God guided it to stop under a tree in a safe area. It was a little before 4pm so the school across the street was still open for me to make the phone call. I also happened to have my dad’s keys on me so I knew what I could do next. There were so many other things God did during that time to help me get through it. I wish I could share them all. I realized how much God loved me. 

I was Daddy’s little girl. How was I going to survive if he passed away? I was a single parent with two young children and had to go through this pretty much alone. But I realized I wasn’t alone. God was beside me. 

As we go through life’s challenges, it’s helpful to remember that God is always there for us. We may not see it in the midst of a crisis, but when we look back, we will realize how God carried us through it. 

It’s like that popular poem “Footprints in the Sand,” where the writer sees two pairs of footprints in the sand––one belonging to God and one belonging to the person. But then the footprints dwindle to one pair. And that’s because, as the poem goes, those were the times when God was carrying us during the crises of our lives. 

God was lifting me up and got me through that rough time in my life, and He will get you through yours too! 

God promises He will be with us: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

Prayer: Thank You, God, for always being there for us through the storms. Thank You for the people you bring into our lives to encourage us and remind us that You are carrying us through the trials of life. I thank You, Lord, for helping me to see that You were there with me when I was going through such an emotional time in my life. Help us all to remember that we are Your children and that You love us and will always be there for us! Amen!

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