Katie was just over 6 months old when she faced one of the most difficult times of her life. She was having kidney failure and was brought into Dallas Children’s Medical Center for a catheter placement so we could begin peritoneal dialysis. She was very tiny so as the catheter was place in her abdomen it nicked her bowl and she became septic. She quickly became very ill. The medical team recommended that we seriously consider letting her go, because of the many severe medical problems she faced. We were forced to make a difficult decision to discontinue treatment or to take drastic measures to save her life.

Sensing the Lord leading, we felt it wasn’t time to let her go just yet. The doctors intubated her and she was place in the Pediatric ICU. She recovered miraculously and only spent a couple days in ICU. However, the positive news only lasted a few days. She was in a hospital room having regular treatments on her lungs waiting for them to become strong enough for another surgery.

I still remember that afternoon as though it was only a few years ago. The respiratory therapist had just left the room after giving her a CPT treatment and suctioning her lungs. Hearing Katie give a faint cry, I went to her bedside to see her turning blue with her eyes rolling. We yelled down the hall for the nurses and things began to happen very quickly. Our baby was again facing death.

We were ushered out of the room as emergency teams rushed to re-intubate her trying to save her life. As Susan and I sought to comfort one another, I went to the phone to contact my friend Dr. Frankie Rainey who I relied on as my pastor. Dr. Rainey was already out of his office, but Dr. Art Allen took my call. After listening to my story, Dr. Allen promised to relay our prayer request to Dr. Rainey and take it before his church that evening.

Then Dr. Allen asked me a question that has stuck with me for more than 27 years. He simply asked, “How are y’all doing?” I immediately began to reiterate Katie’s dire circumstances, but Dr. Allen stopped me. He said, “You’ve told me about Katie. How are you and Susan?” I paused for a moment, because my focus had been entirely on Katie. As I took inventory of my own condition, I felt a peace come over me. I replied, “Dr. Allen, we are okay. The same God who was in charge last week when we Katie was miraculously healed is in charge today. He’ll take care of us. We are okay. Thanks for asking.”

I learned many valuable lessons the two long months Katie was in the hospital that stay. But none of those lessons had a greater impact than the one I learned that day. The God of creation is the God of our circumstances. He never changes. He is faithful, trustworthy, and true. The God who created the sea is still God when the storms rage and the seas of life get rough.

As they were sailing He fell asleep. Then a fierce windstorm came down on the lake; they were being swamped and were in danger. They came and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to die!” Then He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves. So they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” 

They were fearful and amazed, asking one another, “Who can this be? He commands even the winds and the waves, and they obey Him!” 

-Luke 8:23-25 CSB