God Has Heard
A sweet friend and co-worker of mine, Dr. Dereje, and his wife, recently went through a serious trial at our hospital while pregnant with their first child. They prayed for this child and offered his life to the Lord. In honor of this, they named him Samuel, God has heard.
As Dr. Dereje’s wife approached her due date, it became clear her labor needed to be induced because of low amniotic fluid. I remember the day so well; it was one of those days I don’t think I will ever forget. The baby’s heart rate was dropping, so they rushed his wife to the OR for a c-section. I ran to the OR to meet the OB team there.
At delivery, Samuel had stool in the amniotic fluid and aspirated some into his lungs. We call this meconium aspiration, and even in the best medical facilities is never good. This started a very difficult and complicated recovery. We placed a tube down his throat and put him on a breathing machine. Samuel nearly died multiple times. For 12 days we were unable to take out the breathing tube without his body becoming too tired.
Dr. Dereje, was up every night for those 12 nights helping at the bedside. It was a roller coaster of minor improvements and then setbacks. The days were long and hard, but God never left our side. In one of those difficult moments, I shared this Psalm with Dr. Dereje.
Psalm 40: 1-3
I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.
I felt like this Psalm was the perfect one as we daily cried to the Lord for Samuel’s healing. Those 12 days felt so long, and yet we waited patiently for the Lord to reveal his plan. While every day it was so easy to focus on the difficulties of Samuel’s current medical problem, we encouraged one another to keep our eyes off the problem and focus on our rock, Jesus Christ. It was in that space that we saw Samuel’s ultimate healing.
I can honestly say, from a medical perspective, Samuel’s life is a miracle. Even through his traumatic and difficult birth and the 12 long days to follow, God’s name was glorified, and God had truly heard.
If you would like to learn more about Soddo Christan Hospital or the Yates family’s work there click here.
