GOD STILL PERFORMS MIRACLES

I will never forget one moment in time where my family’s faith was tested.  It was the year 2011.  My sister, younger brother and I had all traveled to North Carolina for our nephew’s graduation from high school.  We had all gotten up early that morning and proceeded to get ready in a hurry so we could be on time for this special event.

My sister was five months pregnant at the time and, as she was adding the finishing touches to her attire, her water broke.  So many thoughts flooded her mind…this can’t be happening.  It’s not time.  I haven’t completed my third trimester.  She cried out for assistance and we all jumped in the car and rushed her to the hospital.  We prayed the entire drive there.  I tried to comfort her with reassuring words.  No matter what it looks like, God is more than able. There’s nothing He can’t do.

Once we arrived at the hospital, a nurse took her right away to an examining room where they performed numerous tests.  By this time, my sister was calm and at peace…believing in God for a miracle.  As I sat there in the examining room in a seat right across from her, suddenly, I began to hear a still, small, voice way down in my soul.  It was like a whisper at first.  Jesiah, Jesiah.  Then the voice became louder. JESIAH, JESIAH, so I spoke it out loud…JESIAH.  I thought to myself, Jesiah?  Could this possibly be my niece’s name?  I turned to my sister and asked her what she thought of the name, Jesiah.  She looked at me with an inquisitive look.  Jesiah, hmmm…it’s a possibility.  She then asked her husband, who was on the phone at the time, what he thought of the name, Jesiah.  Due to his work schedule, he didn’t make the trip with us, but was at her side shortly after her ordeal.

I know I had heard the name way down in my soul, so I decided to look it up to see what it meant.  The meaning of Jesiah is God sees and is merciful.  God is alive.  I thought to myself wow, how profound.  I thanked God for the revelation, then I told my sister the meaning of the name, Jesiah.  At this point, the doctor and nurse returned to the room, and with tears in their eyes, they pretty much told my sister her case was practically hopeless.  The chances of her delivering a healthy baby were slim to none.  They told her she could go into labor at any moment and that terminating her pregnancy was an option to save her from distress.  My sister became teary-eyed and so did my mom.  But I just held on to God’s word.  Jesiah.  God sees and is merciful.  God is alive. 

Once the nurse and doctor left the room to give my sister the opportunity to weigh her options, I turned to my sister and reassured her that no matter what the doctor and nurse said, though they probably had the best intentions, God’s word is final.  God spoke the name Jesiah to me.  It wasn’t a coincidence.  He wanted us to know, to remember, that He is a God that sees and is merciful and He is alive.  Nothing is impossible when you believe.  

At this point, my dad, older brother and younger brother returned to the hospital from my nephew’s graduation and we filled them in on the doctor’s diagnosis and advice.  We held hands and formed a prayer circle right in the hospital room that day, with my brother-in-law still on the line on speaker phone at this point, and we began to pray.  My younger brother led the prayer.  Our faith was strengthened, and we all got on one accord, believing in God for a miracle.

Once the doctor and nurse returned to the room, my sister informed them of her decision, which was not to terminate her pregnancy, but to believe in God for a miracle.  She told them that she believed her daughter, Jesiah, would make it.  And she was willing to do whatever she had to in order to have a safe and healthy birth. My sister was informed by the doctor that there was nothing else they could do for her. At 20 weeks, the baby’s lungs were not fully developed and she did not have a viable fetus. Due to the hospital’s policy, my sister could not be admitted at that time, and being that she could possibly go into labor at any moment, they advised her to abode locally, in state, and placed her on restricted activities and total bed rest.

With constant prayer and total reliance on God, Jesiah was born seven weeks later.  Though she was premature and had to stay in an incubator for some time, she is now a healthy and thriving nine-year-old!  God is a miracle working God!  There is nothing He can’t do!  Whatever obstacles or trials you may be facing in life, know that God has not forgotten you.  He not only hears our prayers, but He answers them as well, and He’s still performing miracles!