The Blessed Gift of Life

The Gift of Life

Then the Word of the Lord came to Isaiah : “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘ This is what the Lord the God of your father David says : I have heard your prayer and seen your tears ; I will add fifteen years to your life.”

Isaiah 38 : 4 – 5

King Hezekiah became very ill and was at the point of death . King Hezekiah prayed hard to the Lord for his healing weeping bitterly. The Lord had seen his tears and heard his prayer. God gave an extension of fifteen years to his life.

Only the Lord God is completely sovereign over life and death. Only God has the power to bring healing to one’s terminal illness. He has the power to end one’s life or to extend one’s life. He is the One who decides whether to bring healing or death to a person. The Lord God had seen the tears of Hezekiah that made Him bring healing to Hezekiah and gave it an additional fifteen years. King Hezekiah don’t have to pay a costly price to extend his life. Just by receiving the mercy of God, his healing was granted.

In our time, there are some people who have to pay a very high price just for an extension of life for a few months or even just for a few days. Some patients in the hospital have to pay for expensive machines to be attached to them so that they can continue to breath. Life indeed is so precious. Even some very rich persons are powerless over death. Even their wealth was not able to stop death coming to them.

Our life is completely rested in the power of God. God is completely sovereign over our lives. We can never boast that we are young or healthy, for death may come suddenly to us. We have no control over our lives. If God decide to end our life, there is nothing we can do about it. We continue to live only as God allows us to live,

We experienced this reality just recently when our family encountered the most trying moment of our life involving the health of my beloved mother.

During the first week of June just this year, my mother collapsed and lost consciousness..

So we rushed her to the hospital. By God’s grace she regained her consciousness on her way to the hospital. Her heartbeat has gone very slow as slow as below 30 beats per minute. The normal heartbeat is between 60 to 100 beats per minute. My mother is diagnosed with “severe bradicardia” . According to the doctor she can have cardiac arrest anytime. She lost consciousness because her heartbeat stopped. And it could happen that the next time she lost consciousness she might not be brought back to life again. The doctor recommended a pacemaker implant for her to regulate her heartbeat.

By God’s mercy and grace, we were able to raise sufficient fund for my mother’s pacemaker operation.After the operation she is much better now and her heartbeat is now normal.

I realized that my mother could have been dead by now if not by God’s grace and mercy. According to the doctor, the pacemaker could prolong my mother’s life for another ten years. I believe it is only by God’s power this will happen. My mother’s very life is in the hands of the Almighty,

After this experience, I learned to love God more and appreciate Him more each day. I can grasp better now that life indeed is a blessed gift from God and should be used for His glory. We should thank God for each new day He gives to us. Our very life is in His hands.