I thought we were covered. Like insurance. Paid up. Prayed up.
It’s how we always start our day. Before we board the plane. Before we take a risk of any kind. We pray God will prevent all harm. It’s even scriptural. It’s our insurance against evil. We expect it. After all, God is our Refuge and a Shield that surrounds us.
It was our third mission trip to Honduras. We had done it all before so we kind of knew what to expect. Even so, we committed the week to the Lord, including our travel.
There were 17 of us loving on our Mission of Mercy kids. I had been praying the morning away with over a hundred of them. It was a given that God was watching over us. After all, we were doing His work. We were obeying the rules. Not taking any risks, we planned to leave the village by midday (when the gangs came out). Ministering to needy children. Nothing could go wrong. We were covered in prayer. And we were good people doing good things, for heaven sake.
But something did go wrong. For me, at least. It started as a stumble that continued in slow motion propensity. The ground met my hip before I knew what happened. Unbearable pain. Unplanned interruption. Frightening results.
Our faith is shaken when bad things happen to good people doing good things…people who pray before they venture out.
There’s a story in the Bible about a good man named, Lazarus, who died because Jesus delayed coming to rescue him. Martha told Jesus he could have prevented her brother’s death if He had been there. She wondered why Jesus didn’t come when they called for Him. Lazarus never would have died if Jesus had been there.
Just like I would have never fallen if He had been there. (even though He was). He could have prevented my broken hip. I admit I wondered why it seemed our prayers for protection went unnoticed.
But if we check out Martha’s next words, it brings hope to our disappointments. She said that even now she knew whatever He would say would happen. Even though her brother had been dead for three days, she knew Jesus could still intervene. In the face of death, she still believed. She had an even-now kind of faith. It was necessary for what Jesus was about to do, for Lazarus miraculously came back to life at His command.
Even though my fall was a different kind of reality, Jesus did come to me.
He came to me in the form of a beautiful Honduran woman named Nolvia, who held my hand in the clinic, singing and praying while we waited over an hour for the ambulance.
He came to me in the hands and feet of a local physician, Dr. Majia, who fought to get me back home for hip replacement surgery. And who never stopped encouraging me that I would soon be good as new.
He came to me when the 17-member team crowded into my little Honduran hospital room, crying and praying over my well-being.
He came to me in the loving devotion of my husband who helped me conquer the humiliation of not being able to take care of myself, while keeping me focused on getting better.
He came to me through the wisdom of our sons, who took over the details of my care from both sides of the ocean.
He came to me as my daughters-in-love refused to leave me alone in either hospital, each sleeping next to my bed like hovering night-time nurses.
No, God didn’t prevent my fall. But He came through the people that surrounded me. He never left me. The Bible repeats what God has said three times.
I will never forsake you or leave you without support. I will not. I will not. I will not. (Hebrews 13:5 AMP)
In the reality of my even now experience, He was still Sovereign. Still protecting me. Still supporting. Still turning what was intended for harm to my good.
If you’re wondering why God didn’t prevent something in your life, do you have enough faith to believe for your even now? Look around for clues. Recognize how He came to you, even when you were unaware. Because even in your trials and pain today, He is in charge of your tomorrows. Even now He can bring beauty out of ashes. Only He can make everything beautiful in His time. He proved it to me. He will do the same for you…if you will just believe, even now.