- 1 Cor. 16:14
Every time I sit down to write an article for you, I always ask God what topic he wants me to write about. I needed one more article this month when all of a sudden it struck me at 5:30 AM - Literally.
I had gotten up early to meet a friend for breakfast. She and her husband live an hour away, so I was up before the sun, and anyone else. As I was talking with God and putting my makeup on in the bathroom, my hand struck the toilet tank cover. Not a problem usually, except months earlier I had dropped the porcelain lid causing it to break in half, so a section of the lid was very jagged and very sharp.
The next thing I know I had a deep triangular gash over one of my knuckles and blood was pouring out everywhere. I calmly ran it under cold water , wrapped it in a shirt to apply pressure, and put a bandage on it hoping the blood would stop. Now, being the woman of perseverance I am, I finished getting dressed and headed out the door to meet my friend for breakfast.
During the hour drive, I prayed for guidance on what to do, and who to turn to for help as all sorts of thoughts began running through my head -- "I don't have health insurance." "Where will I get the money to pay r this?" "I have no idea what to do" Since I arrived a few minutes early, I stopped at a nearby supermarket to get some antibiotic cream and bandages. When I took the bandage off to check on the gash, the blood started pouring out of the wound, again. I now was in a state of "calm/panic" it there is such a thing.
I called my friend to tell her I was in town, and before I could say anything, she told me she would be running a few minutes late because she had a doctor appointment. Ah, God had provided, so I blurted out in a tone that was more panic than calm, "Can you hurry because I've got blood dripping all over the parking lot of the restaurant?"
She arrived to pick me up and brought me to her doctor's office, but there was no one on duty. Then a person in the waiting room offered the address of an urgent care facility. We went there, but their policy was they don't give medical assistance until after 5:00 PM. Our only alternative now was a hospital emergency room, and with no health insurance, my state of calm/panic became just panic.
It is amazing how, even in a state of panic, God can hear your unspoken prayer request. while I am telling my friend that a hospital emergency room bill would be $1,000 just to walk through the door, God was downloading to me about a Fire Station I had seen a couple of years ago around the corner from where we were currently located. We had already been turned away from two other doctor offices, and so we headed to the Fire Station, where I received my "Heaven sent" help.
The Firefighters were kind, compassionate and were able to bring me from panic back to calm. I told them of our dilemma of not being able to find help, and instead of referring us to someone else, they sat me down and started first aid on me immediately. God knew they would and that is why He led us to them. Not having health insurance, I kept asking how much they were going to charge me, and just smiled as they cleaned off the blood, and tended to the wound.
These gentlemen reminded me of Matthew 14:14, where Jesus walked among the people, was moved with compassion for them, and healed them. Jesus moves through our daily lives watching over us, and leading us to people who will help us along our way to fulfilling our destiny -- even when we slice open our finger getting read to meet a friend for breakfast.
God's timing is perfect. Firefighters aren't always at the Firehouse, but they were. In fact, God's timing is so perfect that the moment the Firefighters finished with us, they got a call to leave the Station. Had God not pre-arranged this meeting, we don't know what we would have done. God cares about the tiniest details of our lives to the point that when we don't know what to do, God will hear our unspoken prayer requests, and answer the prayer in His timing.
Before I continue, I want to remind you to pray daily for our local Firefighters, i.e., "First Responders" who are always first to respond to the needs of people. They are people willing to lay down their lives to save the lives of others.
As my friend and I headed back to the restaurant for breakfast, she mentioned it was more than just a coincidence that she had a last minute doctor's appointment that morning at the same time I needed medical assistance. God has a way of taking each of our situations and weaving them together so that everyone's needs are met. Isn't God amazing! We are not to question why bad things happen, instead, we are to keep going forward, without fear, as God has the answer to our problems right around the corner.
Cross Creek Bridge Ministries
P.O. Box 572391
Tarzana, CA 91357
Tel: (818) 881-2009
Toll-Free: (877) 303-CCBM (2009)
Cross Creek Bridge Ministries is a qualified IRS Section 501(c)(3) Organization