Jesus, The Healer

Next week, our Church will start a new series called The Healer. The topic of healing is very close to my heart, having witnessed a number of miraculous healings within the family -- one of which is that of our son Ben. (Read here The Birthing of Ben)

Born a week short of his seventh month, like many pre-term babies, Ben had very weak lungs. Immediately after he came out, he was admitted to the neo-natal intensive care unit which became his home for close to a month. I had asthma at the time we were pregnant with Ben. But little did I know that it was no longer just asthma I was suffering. I had pneumonia as well.

Unfortunately, while in my tummy, Ben got infected. About 27 weeks into his life, my water bag broke. Two days later, Ben came out. Because I didn't even know my water bag broke, more complications set in. Ben had sepsis (blood infection). To make the matter worst, he suffered cardiac arrest a few days after he was born. I was already out of the hospital by then. Immediately after it happend, his doctor called to inform us that he had an attack but thankfully, they managed to revive him. "But you should come at once. At least you are here in case he goes," the doctor told me. I was speechless.

As my husband and I rushed to the hospital, I prayed to the Lord to spare our son, but at the same time, to just take him if he was not meant for us. Ben became comatose for days.

Yet, as days went by, the more I was assured that God had already given Ben to us. I just knew it. If Ben was not meant for us, then God should have taken him right away. But Ben hang on for days and weeks. Sometimes, he would show signs of progress, managing to be off the ventilator (life support) for a day or two. Then he would degress again. It was a roller-coaster ride. But finally, before he turned a month old, the doctor told us we could already take him home.

Ben is now 13. Handsome (wink wink!) and intelligent, one cannot imagine what he went through.

When he was old enough to understand, we told him the story of his life and how God did a miracle on him.

His doctor calls him "the miracle baby from the ICU" and indeed he is. He was the worst case in the ICU. The most premature and the most complicated case, Ben's healing could only be the handiwork of a miracle-working God.

"Only a miracle can save your son," his doctor told us. And indeed, the miracle happened.

Looking back, I believe God allowed us to go through a difficult start for many reasons. One, Ben's two younger sisters that followed very shortly one after the other were also both born premature. Thankfully, by the second and third time we became pregnant again, we already knew what to do. Second, having seen how God miraculously healed Ben, we now have personal knowledge that indeed, nothing is too difficult for the Lord. Everytime we go through something, we hold on to the knowledge that we have a miracle-working God. The past thirteen years, we went through so many challenges that if we have not only seen how God performed miracle on Ben, we would have probably succumbed to despair.

Thankfully, Jesus is our Divine Healer. With Him, nothing is impossible. And the impossible is nothing.