Monica was wheeled into the out-patient in a stretcher,taken to the orthopaedics OPD where Mathew after examining her promptly called us up and handed her over to us.She was a fifteen year old child with a 0 power in her lower limbs with a bladder and bowel involvement.Some aspects of her sensation were still intact.She had a history of having had fever a week ago following which she had rapidly become paralysed waist down.She also had a confusing picture of some degenerative changes in the spine.However,MRI and a second opinion from a radiologist in Dehradun confirmed a diagnosis of Transverse myelites.The first thing that struck me when I visited her the next morning was her cheerful face.It touched my heart to see a child so obviously incapacitated giving me an ear to ear smile .I mentally made a note that I would take some time to talk to her and share the gospel with her.The power in both the lower limbs was grade 0/5-that did not stop her from giving me the grin.We started her on steroids(IV)and monitered her daily.There was no progress whatsoever but I could literally see her face becoming downcast by the fourth day or so.The fifth day when I visited her I found her crying to go back home and her parents were just waiting for me to let me know that they wanted to take their child home since there was no progress.It struck me with a pang that I still had not taken time out to talk to her so I wheeled her to the out-patient and tried to share the gospel with her.In between my speaking to her and her listening carefully a doubt crossed my mind.I wondered to myself what she could have understood.I gave her a new testament .I did one thing out of desperation, which I normally do not do ,I taught her how to pray for healing in Jesus' name.Her parents were standing by with downcast faces,more so because of the child's situation.
We discharged her.I was out of town for almost a fortnight.
The second day of my day at work,in the mid-morning I found one of my juniors sitting near the door very enthusiastically greeting someone with just the phrase 'very good!' over and over again.
That was when she walked into my chamber supported by her mother.It took me sometime to recognise her ,when I did I was amazed to see her on her feet.Both her parents were smiling from ear to ear.
I remembered I had shared the gospel with her but I had forgotten the exact nature of my sharing so I hesistantly asked her if she had read the book that I had given her-she said yes and that it was all about Jesus.The next thing that I asked her was if she had prayed and then she reminded me that she had been praying exactly the way I had taught her.
Transverse Myelites as a norm takes around six months to heal and there are people who are chronically indisposed for life.
I remember why I had taught her to pray.Prayer in a hands of a person with a clean but broken heart and an innocent faith can be a powerful tool.Very often in life during difficult situations,we do everything but pray in simple faith.
I was overwhelmed,humbled and reminded ,how great a heritage our God has entrusted us with and we continue to move through life oblivious of it's worth.He is a Jehovah Ropha!-a God who heals.We need to take Him at His Word.For that,we need to know His Word.
We discharged her.I was out of town for almost a fortnight.
The second day of my day at work,in the mid-morning I found one of my juniors sitting near the door very enthusiastically greeting someone with just the phrase 'very good!' over and over again.
That was when she walked into my chamber supported by her mother.It took me sometime to recognise her ,when I did I was amazed to see her on her feet.Both her parents were smiling from ear to ear.
I remembered I had shared the gospel with her but I had forgotten the exact nature of my sharing so I hesistantly asked her if she had read the book that I had given her-she said yes and that it was all about Jesus.The next thing that I asked her was if she had prayed and then she reminded me that she had been praying exactly the way I had taught her.
Transverse Myelites as a norm takes around six months to heal and there are people who are chronically indisposed for life.
I remember why I had taught her to pray.Prayer in a hands of a person with a clean but broken heart and an innocent faith can be a powerful tool.Very often in life during difficult situations,we do everything but pray in simple faith.
I was overwhelmed,humbled and reminded ,how great a heritage our God has entrusted us with and we continue to move through life oblivious of it's worth.He is a Jehovah Ropha!-a God who heals.We need to take Him at His Word.For that,we need to know His Word.
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