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Please God, Send Someone to Help Me!
The wailing in the other hospital room across the
hall was almost hysterical, says Anne Riess.
Should she go? If she did, what should she say?
An amazing story of God's prompting and the
answer to prayer.
The wailing in the other hospital room across the
hall was almost hysterical, says Anne Riess.
Should she go? If she did, what should she say?
An amazing story of God's prompting and the
answer to prayer.
| OurFaith Digest seeks to nourish faith, family and mission with stories from the Mennonite/Anabaptist faith tradition. |
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Disturbing news about my premature son was fresh on
my mind that evening as again I heard the heart wrenching
sobs coming from across the hospital hallway. It sent
shivers down my spine. A woman was obviously in a great
deal of distress. I felt compelled to go and see if I could
help, but I rationalized that I had no idea who this woman
was, and I really had no business intruding in the life of
someone I didn’t know.
I tried to settle down and read, but I couldn’t concentrate
since her sobs had turned into what could only be called
hysterical wails. I sat quietly on my bed and continued in
prayer on her behalf. As the hours went by I repeatedly felt
the need to go and help her, but I resisted. I didn’t want to
embarrass myself. What if she told me to get out? Besides,
my newborn was on shaky ground, would I be strong
enough emotionally to help her?
I tiptoed down to the nursery to have one more look at my
little man. He looked so tiny and helpless lying there. I
reached into the incubator, allowing his tiny fingers to wrap
tightly around my pinkie. I silently thanked God for all he
had done for us. I added a prayer for the woman across the
hall. Even though she was quiet just now, I felt she would
continue to need God’s help. During my prayer, I promised
God that if I heard her weeping again, I would go to see
her. I felt quite safe making this promise, since things were
presently very calm.
With that I returned to my room and settled down to
sleep. I was just dozing off when I heard moaning and
sobbing starting up again across the hall. I lay there staring
into the darkness. Was it the same woman? I had never
heard anyone in such anguish.
“Lord,” I prayed “I know that I said I would go, but I really
don’t want to. I’m afraid, Lord, who is she? What do I say?”
Eventually I gave in saying: “Alright, Lord, with your help, I
will go.” I stood shakily to my feet and made my way across
the hall into the unknown, certain of only one thing; I knew I
had to go.
Gingerly I pushed her door open and peered inside.
There was a curtain drawn around her bed, I took a deep
breath pulled the curtain back ever so slightly and
whispered: “I don’t know who you are, but I want you to
know that I care and have been praying for you.”
With that she sprang from her bed, threw her arms around
my neck and sobbed; “You are an angel! God sent you to
me! My darling baby Angela is in surgery, and she might
not make it! I’ve been praying and praying that God would
send someone and here you are!”
“Praying and praying?” What if I had not gone? Would
she have thought that God didn’t care enough to answer
her prayer? Would she have considered the Lord too busy
to help her?
I reached out and took her trembling hands in mine and
began to pray for her and her precious little Angela.
The sun was just peeking over the horizon when we
rejoiced in the news that her baby had made it through the
surgery and would be alright.
Later, back in my room, as I thought about it, it was so
obvious. Clearly the Lord had been calling me, as he had
called to Isaiah (6:8), “Whom shall I send, and who will go
for us?” I had been very slow to respond. “Here am I; send
me!”
Over the years since that night, I have tried to be in tune
to hear God’s voice. I still wonder how many times I have
missed either hearing or obeying what God is asking of me.
Has someone been “praying and praying that God would
send someone,” and I have not been listening?
So my prayer continues to be: “Lord, please help me
listen for your voice and be obedient when you call.”
Anne Riess is a writer from Saskatchewan, Canada.
Copyright 2007. Reprinted with permission of purpose. For
more information about purpose, email James Horsch at
horsch@mpn.org or call 574-537-0891.
my mind that evening as again I heard the heart wrenching
sobs coming from across the hospital hallway. It sent
shivers down my spine. A woman was obviously in a great
deal of distress. I felt compelled to go and see if I could
help, but I rationalized that I had no idea who this woman
was, and I really had no business intruding in the life of
someone I didn’t know.
I tried to settle down and read, but I couldn’t concentrate
since her sobs had turned into what could only be called
hysterical wails. I sat quietly on my bed and continued in
prayer on her behalf. As the hours went by I repeatedly felt
the need to go and help her, but I resisted. I didn’t want to
embarrass myself. What if she told me to get out? Besides,
my newborn was on shaky ground, would I be strong
enough emotionally to help her?
I tiptoed down to the nursery to have one more look at my
little man. He looked so tiny and helpless lying there. I
reached into the incubator, allowing his tiny fingers to wrap
tightly around my pinkie. I silently thanked God for all he
had done for us. I added a prayer for the woman across the
hall. Even though she was quiet just now, I felt she would
continue to need God’s help. During my prayer, I promised
God that if I heard her weeping again, I would go to see
her. I felt quite safe making this promise, since things were
presently very calm.
With that I returned to my room and settled down to
sleep. I was just dozing off when I heard moaning and
sobbing starting up again across the hall. I lay there staring
into the darkness. Was it the same woman? I had never
heard anyone in such anguish.
“Lord,” I prayed “I know that I said I would go, but I really
don’t want to. I’m afraid, Lord, who is she? What do I say?”
Eventually I gave in saying: “Alright, Lord, with your help, I
will go.” I stood shakily to my feet and made my way across
the hall into the unknown, certain of only one thing; I knew I
had to go.
Gingerly I pushed her door open and peered inside.
There was a curtain drawn around her bed, I took a deep
breath pulled the curtain back ever so slightly and
whispered: “I don’t know who you are, but I want you to
know that I care and have been praying for you.”
With that she sprang from her bed, threw her arms around
my neck and sobbed; “You are an angel! God sent you to
me! My darling baby Angela is in surgery, and she might
not make it! I’ve been praying and praying that God would
send someone and here you are!”
“Praying and praying?” What if I had not gone? Would
she have thought that God didn’t care enough to answer
her prayer? Would she have considered the Lord too busy
to help her?
I reached out and took her trembling hands in mine and
began to pray for her and her precious little Angela.
The sun was just peeking over the horizon when we
rejoiced in the news that her baby had made it through the
surgery and would be alright.
Later, back in my room, as I thought about it, it was so
obvious. Clearly the Lord had been calling me, as he had
called to Isaiah (6:8), “Whom shall I send, and who will go
for us?” I had been very slow to respond. “Here am I; send
me!”
Over the years since that night, I have tried to be in tune
to hear God’s voice. I still wonder how many times I have
missed either hearing or obeying what God is asking of me.
Has someone been “praying and praying that God would
send someone,” and I have not been listening?
So my prayer continues to be: “Lord, please help me
listen for your voice and be obedient when you call.”
Anne Riess is a writer from Saskatchewan, Canada.
Copyright 2007. Reprinted with permission of purpose. For
more information about purpose, email James Horsch at
horsch@mpn.org or call 574-537-0891.
| Copyright 2008 OurFaith Digest |
