Way back when I first moved out of the house (1977), I started praying every time I heard a siren. Even though I had strayed away from the Lord for some time, I was still saved when I was 13 years old and I believed in God as far back as I can remember. I had known to pray when I had night mares, when I was ill, etc… My mother was a great prayer warrior and always shared much about it with me and to this day I am thoroughly and utterly grateful to her for this awesome habit. When I got older and wasn’t around my folks home as much, it came to mind that when I heard the sirens, how could I even be sure that it wasn’t one of them or someone else I loved in trouble. So, to this day, I pray whenever I hear sirens.
I started working at St. Rita’s Medical Center in 1992. Due to this past habit and the fact that I was now a rededicated Christian and firm in my beliefs, I had an abundance of praying to do. God showed me the power of prayer in many ways during the nearly 10 years that I worked at St. Rita’s. Two of them I remember so vividly from working in the Emergency Room that I thought I should write them down so that I’m sure to remember them always.
One quieter night while working third shift, a teenage girl came running in screaming that her grandmother was outside in the car and she had died on the way to the hospital. Everyone started running. I took this young girl aside and while trying to comfort her and assure her that her grandmother was well taken care of, I started praying as much as possible in my head. The entire team of doctors and nurses had rushed to the aid of this lady and by the time I had the girl calmed down a bit, her grandmother was alive and resting comfortably. As we walked back to her ER bed, a nurse exclaimed to me that she had started doing CPR as they brought this lady in but she had never seen anyone come back so quickly. I was praying for the Lord’s will to be done so I guessed that grandmother needed to still be alive for a reason. It turned out this granddaughter had psychiatric problems and was living with and being raised by her grandmother. Furthermore, the granddaughter was just a few months from turning 18. I will never forget that night.
Another night while working in ER, some victims of a gang fight were brought in. This was during second shift and I was so terribly busy that I didn’t even think to pray until the parents of one young (teenage) gunshot victim came in the door. The mother was so terribly distraught that her tears went straight to my heart, so I just couldn’t help but pray. As they took this young boy to surgery, they asked me to get a bed for him in ICU (Intensive Care Unit), which I did as a part of my job. Nearly the entire entourage left the ER at that point as the others that had come in at the same time only had small cuts and bruises. When the boy was nearly done in surgery, I was called to have his bed changed to a normal surgical bed; he would not need to be in ICU. And, I watched as he was released a couple of days later.
I’ve remembered both of these incidences to this day any time that I think to pray and wonder if it is the best thing to do at the time. I realized through these experiences, that this is always the best thing to do.
One more thing came to mind as I write this. While later working at the receptionist desk in Radiology, there were outpatients coming in the door, two lines were ringing on the phone, I had a couple of things I had to look up in the computer, a Radiologist was wanting me to get a doctor on the phone for him, the printer was jammed and trying to print, and on top of all of this my co-worker had just gone to dinner. I thought I was just too busy to pray. What then came to mind was to just say “HELP, LORD”. He showed me that in a fraction of a second I could say in my mind that quick, easy prayer that worked as things slowed down and everything was resolved. So, even if it seems there is no time at all, it only takes a fraction of a second to say “HELP LORD” and even a short one is better than no prayer at all because miracles are just waiting to happen!
Update 2014: While sharing with someone about prayer I had a revelation. Through this nurse's CPR and my prayers this lady in the 3rd paragraph came back to life. I was in awe. I never looked at it like that before! My jaw dropped! Thank you, Jesus!
May God bless you through my writing. If He has especially touched you in any way, please leave a comment below. Your comments are so very encouraging to me to help me to keep writing. Also, click on the “Uptweet” button on the above right and share! I pray you will keep coming back. I fully believe that my writing is by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so if I am writing, there is someone that needs to read it! Maybe it’s you? Also, please be sure to share any questions you might have with me and if you would like to keep them personal (just between you and me) please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at juliana.pace@gmail.com. If I don’t know how to answer you, I will may every attempt to refer you to someone for more information. Thanks and may God bless all your days
I was engaged to a physician who told me that patients who have people praying for them have a much higher recovery rate than non-beievers. Keep praying. Prayer changes things.
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