My family and I have experienced the Lord's mighty and tender loving care in times of crisis over the years, but never like we did recently when my husband, Joe, had a heart attack. It was a Tuesday afternoon, when I was getting ready to keep a doctor's appointment that I had made weeks beforehand to follow up on some health issues I had been dealing with. Even though it was a weekday, my husband was at home because he had lost his job months earlier, and was still unemployed. As I prepared to walk out the door, Joe came to me and told me that he was having some discomfort in his chest area, so I insisted that he take the 2:15 appointment that I had with our doctor that day. When our doctor ran some preliminary tests on Joe, he couldn't find anything seriously wrong with him, but he still insisted that I drive him to the hospital right away.

By the time we arrived at the hospital, my husband's pain was getting worse, and more tests were conducted to find out what the problem was. As it turned out, my husband had a heart attack as he was hooked up to monitors that confirmed that fact to the hospital staff. Suddenly, the room was filled with doctors and technicians, and before I knew it, Joe was whisked away from me, to a room where some exploratory surgery could be done. A kindly social worker led me to a waiting room where I could wait for updates on my husband's condition. As I waited, prayed, and made phone calls to my children and other family members, some of the hospital staff noticed that my face was unnaturally red. They insisted on taking my blood pressure, and when they discovered that it was dangerously high, they called my doctor, who recommended that I be taken to the emergency room. I remember saying, "My husband's having a heart attack! I can't leave him now!" I desperately prayed for God's help, and as I did, the social worker asked if I had any medication on me that would help to reduce my blood pressure. When I said that I had some at home, she suggested that I call my son and ask him to pick it up for me. As I was discussing the matter on the phone with my son, a lady sitting across from me in the waiting room said that she was on the very same medication, in the same dosage, and she would be more than happy to give it to me. As I turned to the social worker for her approval, she smiled and said, "Yes, by all means, take it!" And I marveled at how the Lord made a way for me to remain nearby for my husband in his time of need.

Finally, I was ushered into a recovery room where Joe was left to recover from some minor heart surgery. I kissed him and held his hand, and I thanked God for His loving care. A nurse apologized that they had no available beds in the medical intensive care unit, so they were going to have to place my husband in the surgical ICU, instead. All of a sudden, it dawned on me that this was the unit that my son, John's, wife worked in, and Joe and I rejoiced that "Nurse Amy" would be close by during his recovery.

My husband's doctors were amazed at his "miraculous" recovery, and he was released from the hospital only 48 hours after his heart attack. One of the doctors told Joe, "You had everything working in your favor," and it was true. God had seen that I had a doctor's appointment scheduled for almost the exact time that Joe began having chest pains. And we found out later that the best possible doctor my husband could have had, was on call at the hospital that day. The Lord had made provision for my own health needs, by causing the woman with the medication to be nearby when I needed her. And He made sure that no beds were available in the regular ICU, so that Joe would be placed under our daughter-in-law's watchful eye.

The Bible says: "The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him." (Nahum 1:7 NIV) When my husband's health and life were threatened that day, I decided to put my trust in the living God, and His ability and willingness to care for us in our crisis. As a result, He revealed His presence, power, and provision in a way that amazes us to this day. The next time you are in a crisis of your own, open the door to God's loving and mighty care by placing your trust in Him!

Prayer: Lord, teach me how to cooperate with You to increase my faith in You and Your Word. Don't let me live my life doubting Your love, Your power, or Your provision. Thank You that as I turn to You first in times of trouble, and put my trust in You, I will experience the support and care that only You can give!