Mercy and Grace
Have you ever prayed, prayed, and prayed so more only for God to not answer you the way you wanted?
The year 2020 was a challenging time for everyone. My son, Nicholas, decided to move from Alabama to Nebraska. I was not in favor of his decision, so I began to pray. For weeks I prayed, reminding God of all the reasons I thought Nicholas needed to stay in Alabama. I asked God to change his mind.
Nicholas put his house up for sale, and it sold within two weeks. Everything was working in his favor to make a move. In mid-October last year, he packed his belongings and moved to his new home with new adventures. Little did I know what his future would hold, but God Almighty did.
Two weeks after Nicholas arrived in Nebraska, he became very ill. I received a phone call from him. I could not understand him very well, but he was able to say,
“Mom, I’m going to have emergency surgery. I have blood clots in both lungs.”
His words broke my heart. I prayed with him on the phone, and the doctors carried Nicholas into surgery. I called his girlfriend, who told me that the doctor said,
“Nicholas might not make it, and this will be a very difficult surgery for him to survive.”
I prayed for the next six hours until I received the call from the doctor that he had completed the surgery and Nicholas was alive.
The doctor told me Nicholas was in critical condition. He had removed a twelve-inch blood clot from Nicholas’ lungs. The blood clot had passed through Nicholas’ heart and had filled both lungs. He said that Nicholas was within one hour of passing when he got to the hospital. Our God is so amazing!!! He was with my son throughout the ordeal. Ten days later, Nicholas left the hospital. It has been a year this month; he has totally recovered and is living life.
The most beautiful part of this story is my son was fifteen minutes from the hospital. If he had been in rural Alabama, where we live, he would have been flown to a hospital to do the surgery. But God…
The surgeon that operated on my son is the top surgeon in the United States to do this type of surgery. He just happened to be at that hospital in Nebraska on October 27, 2020. God knew where Nicholas had to be to live. God worked so many miracles for Nicholas that would not have happened in Alabama.
This story is not about my son but God’s amazing mercy and grace. We did not deserve it, but he gave it to us.
Psalm 23:6 (ESV) “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Lamentations 3:23 (NLT) “Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.”
Every day of my life, God looks beyond what I want. He looks beyond what I think I need, and he gives me what I truly need. There is no doubt in my mind that if my son had not moved to Nebraska, he would not be alive today.
I know that God has a purpose for Nicholas, and I believe He will fulfill that purpose. Thank God that He did not answer my prayers! I thank God for his mercy and grace, and I praise Him for the His unfailing love. Not only was God working in Nebraska, but He was also with me in Alabama.
Trust God, even when He does not answer the way you want. Believe in miracles every day. Know in your heart that God is rich in mercy, full of grace, and still working miracles.
Patti League
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#pattileagueblogs
The Blood Clot Nicholas