The elderly man sitting next to his wife in the wheelchair
in the hospital waiting room was tall and very slender. He had driven a truck for 40 years until a
stroke he suffered made it impossible for him to continue to work. In that 40 years he and his wife had bought a
home, raised their children, paid their bills and taxes and done everything
they could to set a good example for their children. Despite his health issues they had continued
to make ends meet.
Six months earlier the doctor in the small town clinic where they
lived told the man that his wife likely had breast cancer. They sent her to a regional medical facility
where the diagnosis was confirmed.
Because of the man’s disability and discharge from his job
they no longer had health insurance for his wife. Suddenly they were faced with the reality
that his wife needed treatment to save her life – treatment they could not
afford. After many failed attempts to
obtain assistance they were ultimately told by the small regional hospital that
they could not treat the woman any further. There was nothing they could do.
The couple returned home and his wife grew more ill with each
passing day. Devastated and with nowhere
left to turn the elderly gentleman left his sick wife resting at home one Sunday
morning and slipped into a pew at the back of their small town church just hoping to find some relief from the feelings of despair.
At the end of the sermon that morning the Pastor said he
felt there was someone there who had something they needed to share. As the soft music continued to play the
elderly gentleman suddenly found himself rising from his seat and slowly making his
way down the aisle toward the front of the congregation.
As he neared the front he wondered “what in the world will I
say”. He never spoke in front of
groups. He was terrified. As he turned to face the crowd he thought his
knees might give way. But as he began to
speak in an uneasy tone about the life he and his wife had lived and the
situation he now found himself in his voice soon became filled with strength.
He told the Church it was hard for him to understand why they had worked
all their lives, raised their children and always taken care of their business
and now when he needed help for his ailing wife there was nothing he could
do save her. He prayed daily to God for strength and help.
As tears streamed down his face he said it was almost unbearable to
think of life without his wife. He
didn’t know where else to turn.
After some comforting words from the Pastor and prayer from
the congregation the elderly man excused himself to the bathroom to dry his
eyes and steady himself. As he emerged
from the bathroom the Pastor said there was someone who was visiting in the
congregation that day who wanted to speak with him. The visitor told the elderly man she was very
moved by his story and wanted to help him.
She said she couldn’t make any promises but gave him a phone number and asked
that he call the next day.
The call the elderly gentleman made the next day started the
wheels in motion that would deliver an answer to his
prayers. The stranger who was visiting
by chance in the congregation worked at M.D. Anderson hospital. The stranger arranged for
his wife's care at one of the leading cancer treatment centers in the world – free of
charge. His wife had been delivered from certain death by a divine appointment in a small town gathering of God's people.
The story was a reminder to me that when we don’t know where to turn WE WILL ALWAYS FIND GOD IN
THE MOST EXPECTED OF PLACES.
