Angela escapes death

(Part two of two-part story)

I kept meeting with Angela's mom and dad to pray together. In the intensive care unit, her days had become weeks, then months. I admired her parents' love for their daughter. Being Roman Catholic, they welcomed everyone's prayers. They knew their girl needed more than what medical skill could do. Angela's college friends kept praying.

Medically, everything that could be done, had been done. Her body was exhausted. But it seemed like neither medicine nor prayer had worked. I remembered a verse from Mark 9:23. "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."

I knew God had power. With him, all things are possible. I also knew I couldn't dictate to God. What was his will, in this case? Nor would I make presumptuous promises to Angela's parents. Yet I knew -- the God who raised Jesus from the grave could do anything.

We were asking for something big, a miracle. Either our prayers were not being heard or our faith was not enough. What was missing? Was there something else we could do?

Then I had an idea. It was something I had not done before. I knew God's word had power. God spoke, and created the universe. The word of God, when mixed with faith, opens the door to miracles. I had witnessed wonders by the Holy Spirit. I sat down with my Bible and recorded a cassette with verses about healing. I made it to be played continuously, 30 minutes on a side.

I met her dad at the trauma hospital 70 miles away. We walked into her room where she lay unconscious. We put the tape into Angela's player beside her bed. We asked the nurses to keep it going. They had already been keeping Christian worship music playing softly in her room.

The first scripture on the tape was the words of Jesus, "The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." (John 6:63 ESV) My premise was that God's word has God's life in it. I believed Angela's spirit could hear God's voice, even if her mind was sedated and her body was paralyzed. We added the spoken word of God to our prayers and then expectantly waited.

A few days later, my daughter came back from visiting Angela at the hospital. She told me that Angela had taken a sudden turn for the better! Within four days, Angela came down from the highest level of critical care to the lowest. Soon she was off the respirator. All the negative news was replaced with positive reports.

The next week when I walked into her room, she was sitting up in a chair beside her bed. I greeted her, "Good morning, Angela!" She looked up with a big smile. "Do I know you?" My voice was familiar though she had never seen me. Tears of joy ran down my face.

Three weeks later she was released to go home. She began a long regimen of therapy to regain weight and strength. The university gave a reception in her honor and paid her huge medical bills. She resumed her last year of nursing school, once again on a scholarship.

One of her doctors in her intensive care unit said to me, "You can't be in this business long without seeing the power of prayer." We had won the battle, thanks be to God!

I shared this story with her local Campus Crusade for Christ director. I found out that he was prejudiced against miracles.

He replied, "You don't think there was some cause and affect here, do you?"

I was stunned by his skepticism. If he truly felt that way, why had he bothered praying for her?

"Perhaps you're right." I said. "Maybe it was only a coincidence."

-- Ron Wood is a writer and minister. Email him at [email protected] or visit www.touchedbygrace.org. The opinions expressed are those of the author.

Editorial on 04/11/2018