Hope from the Hospital Bed

My dad went into the hospital on June 22, 2022. What he thought would be a quick emergency room visit turned into a 30-day emotional and physical hospital stay marathon. Over the past decade he has dealt with heart issues, but every cardiologist visit resulted in positive results and zero red flags.

That day, when Mom took him to the emergency room, they thought he might need to have a simple, out-patient procedure. Plans were made to fly across country to vacation and visit my sister and her family. Dad was determined to be on that plane. Then hours turned into days, and days turned into weeks, as doctors ran tests and pushed different medications hoping to fix the issue.

After several weeks, my parents requested a transfer to a more specialized hospital. Quickly after his transfer, phrases like “congestive heart failure,” “heart transplant,” and “heart pump” were tossed around in conversations with doctors. Because of his condition, my dad felt weak, tired, and overwhelmed most of this time.

However, his hope in Christ never wavered.

You see, Dad has been a pastor for the past 35 plus years. Even during one of the most trying times in his life, the words of the Bible and his love for Jesus easily flowed out of his mouth. I know God used Dad’s time in the hospital and his willingness to share his faith to change the lives of the medical professionals he got to know.

One main reason Dad was able to confidently share his faith during this time is because he has spent his whole life building his trust in the Lord. Because Dad has hope in Christ, he spends time in prayer. Prayer helped build his trust in the Lord and fills him with the hope of Christ.

Because of our hope in Christ, let us seek to be constant in prayer so that we might be ready for whatever happens in our lives.

Pray:

Dear Lord, As I seek to be constant in prayer, build my trust and hope in You so that regardless of whether I am traveling through an easy or difficult season in life, I am prepared to share my hope in You with those around me. Amen.