My Hero

Your miracle begins when you place whatever is in your hands into Jesus' hands.

It's been a roller-coaster ride of sorts the past month or so with all of us in the family, save for the hubby, getting sick one after the other. I had been practically bedridden for almost a week and managed to get back on my feet only late last week. Up to now, Star is still recovering and thankfully, she no longer has fever this evening.

I was tempted not to attend this morning's service because Star still had fever and she begged me to stay. But thanks to my husband's kindness, he volunteered to stay instead. I'm so thankful to the Lord for finally being able to attend service after missing it for three Sundays (first Sunday I was in Malaysia and the next two, we got sick).

Too bad I didn't catch the first parts of the Hero series. But the preaching on "The Kid" today was as powerful I'm sure. It talks about the little boy who gave up his five barley loaves and two fishes. We all know how the Lord used the little boy's unselfishness act to feed thousands. The little deed of a nameless child became one of Jesus' greatest miracles recorded in the Bible. Who would have thought that five little loaves and two tiny fishes would feed thousands of hungry followers, and with leftovers at that! In the hands of the little boy, the loaves and the fishes could have been more than enough to sustain him throughout the day. But he chose to give it to Jesus. And in Jesus' hands, the miracle happened.

The story reminded me of so many incidents where I saw God's miracles up close and personal. I dare not imagine what could have happened if Jesus didn't come to the rescue. Just last year, we were preparing to bring Star to Hongkong for her diagnosis. By our initial pencil pushing, we would easily spend tens of thousands of dollars in hospital bills alone. Already, we were a bit concerned. Then God pulled out a surprise -- Ben was diagnosed with Primary Koch Infection. Weeks later, just right before we were supposed to leave for Hongkong, he got confined. Worse, the water in his lungs increased so quickly and the doctor told us to brace for an OR appointment.

By this time, we were a bit shaken. We didn't see it coming. But then we realized, surely, God wouldn't give us something that He knows we couldn't take. We knew He would heal Ben. He had awaken Ben from coma when he was a tiny baby. How much more now that Ben was bigger and stronger. Yet, the mounting hospital bills and Star's overdue diagnosis stared at us in the face.

In my heart though I knew God would walk us through it. I didn't know how but I knew He would. He had plucked us out of the valley of darkness too many times for us to doubt. And so like the other times, I would surrender all concerns to the Lord and say, "Lord, problema mo na yan. Bahala ka na."

So with confidence, Star and I left for Hongkong not knowing how in the world would we be able to pay the bills both in Hongkong for Star and in Manila for Ben. But God is our Jehovah Jireh! Because we passed on the "ball" in His hands, He took over. Suddenly, blessings after blessings poured in. An overdue payment came -- more than enough to settle Ben's hospital bills. And more unexpectedly, a church in Hongkong gave us a love gift that enabled us to settle Star's hospital bills. What more, one of their pastors chaperoned us all the time and wouldn't let us spend a cent. So, after Star's diagnostic tests, we even had more than enought to visit Ocean Park and Disneyland!

Everytime we go through difficult times, I look back at the birth of Ben (how God woke him up from coma and now he's almost as big as I am), the incident last year and the many little triumphs God gave us along the way. My faith may not be intact all the time. Sometimes I falter. But one thing is sure, God is a mighty God. He is a miracle-working God who is the same yesterday, today and forever. The miracles He performed in the olden times, He is still able to perform today if we only allow Him to. But the miracle will only begin if we put all our cares in His hands.