My daughter is nine years old today. She was so excited she could hardly contain herself during church. The giggles were bouncing off the walls as she and her friends gathered around the table for Ice Cream and Cake and the birthday girl opened her gifts. As I watched the lively bunch together, I could not help but remember the day she was born and how we nearly lost her.
Born four and three quarters pounds, diagnosed with a serious bowel infection, the doctor gave a grim prognosis and offered little hope (Jer. 8:22). We were told that the next twelve hours were critical. If she could hold on until then she would have a slim chance of recovery. My wife and I turned to God in prayer, our dependable source of hope in times past. We called all the prayer chains we knew to call and bent our knees (Psa. 34:6, 86:7) to the one who gave us this little girl and asked him to preserve her life. The atmosphere at the neonatal unit was drastically different when we returned. The grim face of the doctor was changed to perplexity. He was not a man of faith, but he had never seen such a condition turn around so quickly. He had expected our little girl to be barely hanging on at best, but now she was not only hanging on, she was thriving (Psa. 103:4). He could not explain the difference. His medical books and scientific mind predicted sickness and possible death. When told of our prayers he offered no objection. He had no alternative answer for such a quick recovery.
Nine years later I am still rejoicing over how God answered our prayers. We have had nine years of Joy and she is a testimony to God's grace. He has brought hope from despair, health out of sickness, turned sorrow to joy, and snatched life from the grip of death. Sarah is a living testimony to the power of prayer. We are truly grateful to God for our little girl (Psa. 107:8; Phil. 2:27).
