Never forget the God factor...

    In the early hours of the morning, Nate was driving home, when he lost control of his truck. It crashed and he was thrown head first through the windshield, into a ditch. He lay there in the winter cold, bleeding for almost five hours. Finally, a farmer found him and called for help. He suffered frostbite, a fractured spine and swelling of his brain. His parents were called. His mother prayed asking God to do whatever He chose to do and she would accept it. They lived far away and had to fly to the hospital where he was. 
    At the hospital, the doctor told his parents that he was unstable, that if he attempted surgery to relieve the pressure on his brain, it would kill him. The doctor did not expect him to survive the night. Despite the negative report, Nate’s mother boldly told the doctor that there was still one thing he was not considering - the God factor. 
    As news of Nate’s accident went out, the family were encouraged by the prayer support they got from their home town and from all over the world. While Nate was in a coma, his brother sang Christian songs to him. As he did so, the pressure on his brain decreased to an acceptable level. A few weeks later, his mother convinced his doctor to take him off the ventilator. He reluctantly did so and the expected result did not happen. Nate was able to breathe on his own. That was a miracle. 
    After several more weeks, he awoke from his coma. After months in rehab, he made a full recovery and was able to return home. His family is thankful to God for his survival and healing and the prayers that went out on his behalf. His mother acknowledges that God is in control and He just wants us to trust and submit to Him.
    I am always encouraged by these testimonies of healing and deliverance. We serve a miracle-working God who is able to do above and beyond what we can imagine. However, the important thing is to stand on His Word and on His promises, believing that He is able and that He will do the miraculous in our life. It is easy to submit to the reports of human experts but at the end of the day, God is the only true expert who knows what even the human experts don’t know. 
    Nate’s mother chose not to accept the report she was hearing. As she told the doctor, there was one other important factor to consider, and that was the God factor. She did not stop at the doctor’s report, she chose to go further and believe in her God who could do all things.
    I recall the story of Jairus whose daughter died while he went to ask Jesus for help (Mark 5:21-43). Jairus could have submitted to the report of the messengers who told him his daughter had died. That was the fact. She had died. There was no more hope. Nate’s mother also received a hopeless report. The doctor expected death for her son. However, she chose to reject the doctor’s report and fix her faith on her God. Jairus too, chose to fix his faith on Jesus’ words: “Do not be afraid, only believe (v.36),” and he was not disappointed. Did Jairus face discouragement, did he face fear? Of course he did. He probably felt that he had wasted his time trying to get help and she still died. Yet, God had a bigger plan and His plan would work in Jairus’ favour.
    As you face negative, discouraging circumstances, where is your faith fixed today? On the God who is more than able to make a difference, or on the hopelessness that is in front of you? God has not disappeared just because a problem has popped up in your life. Jesus did not disappear from the scene at the news of Jairus’ daughter’s death. In fact, He was now more than willing and able to help, to turn an impossible situation around. And He did. 
    God is still very much present and active in our lives. He is not a silent spectator but a very present and active help when we need it. When things seem hopeless, all He wants us to do is trust Him.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. We all have choices. We can choose where we put our faith. We can either trust what we can see or what we can trust the ability of our God to make a difference. The choice is ultimately ours. Never forget the God factor in any situation. No matter how bad things get, God will always be there, a present help in times of trouble.​

---