Rescuing Prayer

Today, in the process of cleaning out my computer files, I came across an email someone sent to me on May 18th, 2006 titled, "The Whale". It was sent 14 days prior to my husband and I receiving a phone call informing us that our one and only daughter's life was hanging by a very weak thread. Overnight my husband, our son, and I went from doing life in Toms River, New Jersey to watching her struggle for life in San Francisco, California.

As I reread the story of "The Whale" I couldn't help but think about..."our story".

"A female humpback whale had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, and a line tugging in her mouth.

A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farralone Islands (outside the Golden Gate)and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her ...a very dangerous proposition. One slap of the tail could kill a rescuer. They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her." -source unknown

While my daughter was in intensive care she needed serious rescuing as well. It took teams of doctors, a new liver, and an assortment of different life-sustaining machines to untangle the very precarious position she was in. Like the whale she was wrapped in hundreds of yards of lines, wires, tubes and hoses. The only difference is hers were keeping her alive! Machines were working hard to breathe, feed and physically function for her until the body - with it's new liver - could do what it was designed to do, on its own.

In the whale story, a fisherman radioed for help and a rescue team arrived. In "our story" I told one person and rescue teams showed up, not only in California with us (in the form of all the doctors, nurses, technicians, etc.), but all over the place, from New Jersey to England. Our rescue team was everywhere! Hundreds of brothers and sisters in Christ...even the unconverted to Christ, were praying for her, for us, to be delivered.

They endured until, one line after the other she was freed from all those machines and once again breathing, walking, eating, thinking, speaking without any mechanical assistance. Her physical healing came!

Our rescuers prayed until something happened!

Just like the whale much is not known concerning the "why" of my dear one's entanglement. In fact, whenever I watch TV news stories like the one mentioned above, I am always stunned by the seeming senselessness of the whale, to get itself into so much trouble.

Have you ever thought about it? We're, all of us, one decision away from victory or defeat; entanglement or freedom; sinking or swimming...the list could go on and on, but you get my point.

We need each other! We need rescuing!

Consider those you know who, like the whale, are weighted down by life traps and may need you to come to their rescue. Are we willing to wear out the carpet beside our beds, travailing in prayer? Are we willing to intercede for them with all our heart, soul, mind and strength! May it be said of us that we were not afraid to pray, that we were available at a moment's notice to come to the rescue.

I could probably write a book detailing how prayer preceded incident after marvelous incident in the saving of my daughter's life. But the story is not yet mine to tell.

Our faithful Lord continues to write her story, just as He patiently and painstakingly writes each of ours - day in and day out. His story is written on our hearts and read by all those we are visible to. He does this as we seek to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

"Therefore my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure." Philippians 2:12-13

Stephanie

Stephanie Paul, wife and mother of two grown children. An "instrument of change" in the Redeemer's Hand, in the lives of wounded and hurting women. Currently serving as a part of the Addiction Recovery Team at America's Keswick as Woman of Character Program Administrator.

DIGGING DEEPER
James 1:21
Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.