Hebrews 1: 4

Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Today I’m taking the time, not to preach a message as I usually do, but to give a testimony. A testimony of the grace and mercy of my Lord Jesus. A testimony of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. Through the years that I have known the Lord, I have seen His grace and mercy manifested in my life. But no matter how much grace and mercy I see, His grace and mercy are never exhausted. As Jeremiah said, they are new every morning. Recently the Lord allowed me to be a witness to His grace and mercy being demonstrated in the life of a very dear friend of mine by the name of Bella. I have asked Bella for permission to share her story, and she was glad to say it was ok. The word of God says in James 4:14:

Whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.

These words are so true. You can be here one minute, alive, vibrant, active, and the next you are gone. That’s the reality of this life that we live, and recently this reality was brought home to our friend Bella in a real way.

Our Friend Bella

My wife and I met Bella some time ago, while playing an online game. We have a small but genuine group of people who meet online for some gaming recreation, and Bella was a part of that group. As virtual communities go, we knew nothing about her really, and vice versa. Nevertheless we developed a very good friendship, as Bella had a very real and helpful personality, that registered with us right away. Then something happened that reminded us that even though it’s a virtual community, it is made up of real people facing real challenges. One day while in game, I saw Bella sign in. It was not Bella though, but her boyfriend Mark who was using her account. I had never spoken to Mark before, but he knew who I was, and wanted to speak to me.

He told me that Bella had fallen ill and had gone to the doctor to find out what was the matter. The doctors on observing her, kept her for observation and to run some tests. Mark had gone to the hospital with her, and was staying with her so he promised to keep us updated as to her condition. So I got the word out to all her friends, and my wife and I started praying for her. I asked all her friends if they could pray that they should pray for Bella, and those who could did pray for her.

The next day, Bella’s boyfriend took her computer to the hospital, and I was able to speak to Bella directly. She told me that she had undergone an exploratory operation which discovered that she had an infection of some kind in her stomach. She had to undergo another operation the next day to remove the infection. She was her usual upbeat self, and was in good spirits. So I told her that everyone is praying for her, for a successful operation and a speedy recovery. Her parents had also come to the hospital to be with her, so she had the support of her family. We continued to pray for her.

The next day Bella’s boyfriend Mark contacted me and let me know that Bella underwent a seven hour operation to remove the infection. The operation went well, and Bella was resting comfortably. My wife and I thanked God for that and we continued to pray for her speedy recovery. We were so glad to know that she was out of the woods. However, the story does not end there. Actually, it’s just the beginning.

A Turn for The Worst

The day after this, Mark contacted us to let us know that Bella had developed complications after the surgery and had to be rushed into emergency surgery. Up to the time Mark had contacted me, they had already been operating on her for five hours, and were still operating on her. While speaking to Mark, Bella went into cardiac arrest. The doctors stabilized her, but she was very much still in a critical condition. To think that one day Bella was fine and talking to us, and the next she was in a hospital bed fighting for her life. Tapering on the edge of death. As I quoted James earlier, “Life is like a vapor”. One cannot describe the helplessness one feels in a situation like this. Powerless to do anything to change Bella’s situation. The only thing we could do, was to put her in God’s hands, and commit her care to Him. He alone could help her. This was what I said to all her friends as well, and urged those who could pray, to pray.

Bella’s condition continued to worsen, so her parents decided to move her to a private hospital where she could get better care. Still her condition worsened. So much so that the doctors stated that if she didn’t respond to the particular treatment, that she would not have very long to live. At this time, Bella was able to talk to me, and would you believe Bella’s concern was that the child in the hospital bed next to her didn’t have as many doctors as she did. She wanted them to help the child in the bed next to her. Yes, that’s what she said.

As her condition worsened, she went into a coma. At this point, Mark and her parents were preparing themselves for the worst. I did not pass on this information to her friends, rather I just asked them to continue to pray for her. My wife and I continued to pray as well. I put up a brave face, but I was concerned that Bella would succumb to her illness.

My Greatest Fears

Bella had many friends, and she was loved dearly by all of them. She was the type of person to help in any way she could. So were something to happen to her, apart from her immediate family, a lot of people would have been affected. While Bella was fighting for her life, I myself was fighting some battles of my own. Some battles with thoughts that challenged my faith in Christ. The first thing, was that even though my wife and I always maintained our Christian testimony before our friends, we have never had the opportunity to share the good news about Jesus with them on a personal basis. They knew we were Christians, and by God’s grace many of them respect that, but we’ve never had a one on one opportunity to tell them about Jesus, and our faith in Him. I had never spoken to Bella about Christ, and I had no idea of her spiritual condition. If she were to pass from this earth, where would she go? I had no idea, and I was afraid that I had missed the opportunity to share my Savior with my friend.

Also, I had asked everyone to pray for her, and had told them that she was in God’s hands. They knew I was a Christian, so I was putting myself out there. I was thinking to myself, if she were to die, how would I ever be able to testify to my friends about Jesus again. “You mean the same Jesus that let our friend Bella die?” I could imagine the words. I was terrified. I had to repent of this, because I was thinking about myself, and not the Lord or of Bella. So while Bella fought for her life, I surrendered the matter to God. I asked Him if it be His will, spare her life that she might recover from this illness.

The Two Fold Miracle

A few days later, Mark contacted us again with wonderful news. Bella had come out of the coma, and was responding well to the treatment. The doctors had stated that she was past the worst, and they expected her to make a full recovery. Mark and Bella’s parents sent a word of thanks to all the people that had prayed for Bella and had sent her their well wishes. Bella went from being at death’s door, to expected to make a full recovery. My wife and I praised God that he had spared Bella’s life and given her a miraculous recovery. We testified to all her friends that God had brought her back from this severe illness, to good health once again. Her recovery was nothing short of miraculous. God had spared her life, and I told this to everyone.

The amazing this is, that this is not the first time that Bella has been near death’s door. Bella once shared with me another experience that coupled with this one, would make chills run down anyone spine. A few years prior to our meeting Bella, she was involved in a serious vehicular accident. She was rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced clinically dead. She was in that state for a few minutes. She told me this is what was told to her because she cannot remember anything of that part of the experience herself. She did not see any lights or have any near death experiences, but she was clinically dead for several minutes. The doctors managed to revive her, and she made a full recovery.

So this is the second time, yes that’s right the second time, that Bella has been close to passing from this world, and the Lord has saved her from certain death. What are the odds? That someone would face death not once, but twice and live to tell about it? No one can deny, that there is another power at work here, a higher power that was preserving Bella’s life. So Bella slowly but surely was getting better day by day. Facing some challenges, but taking them step by step. Mark was with her from the very first day, and was the one who kept us updated as to her condition.

I realized, that long before we ever met Bella, or started praying for her, the Lord was watching over her and keeping her.

Bella’s Thoughts, My Testimony

Bella is doing so much better now, and we had the opportunity to speak with her. We were so glad to have her back to her usual, jolly and merry self. To think that just weeks ago she was in a coma. The Lord was merciful to her indeed in raising her up off that hospital bed. So very few people get a second chance at life, Bella actually was getting a third. I still cannot believe it. Also the Lord showed me that He is the one in control of all things. He is the one who works all things after the counsel of His own will. He knows what He’s doing. A long time ago the Lord showed me, that even though we must always be prepared to share our testimony of Him, it is He that must prepare a heart to receive that testimony.

I had an opportunity to speak with Bella, and Bella told me these words.

Can i tell something? Don’t laugh. I don”t know if you know. but i am not religious. I believe there is something but i don’t know what. But still I believe I’ve got a guardian angel. Does that sound strange?

I then said to Bella that I did not think that what she said was strange. I too believed that she had someone watching over her. It was the only reason she had faced death twice, and was still alive today. Then I asked Bella if I could share something with her. She replied yes I could. I told her that my wife and I are not religious either, but we are believers in Jesus Christ. I told her that ever since she got ill, we had not stopped praying for her. So the reason why we are so happy about her recovery, is we have no doubt in our minds that it was the Lord Jesus that was watching over her in that hospital bed.

So she asked me if Christ was her guardian angel. I said He’s much more than a guardian angel, and yes it was He that was watching over you I have no doubt in my mind.

I didn’t want to overload Bella, or sound like I was preaching to her. I always ask the Lord to let my life speak more than my mouth. I’ve seen to many people turned off by self righteous people who can talk the talk but can’t walk the walk. I’ve always asked the Lord to help me keep it real. But Bella told me she was open to everything. So she didn’t mind me sharing my story with her. She told me that she didn’t consider herself pure enough to believe in Jesus. It was then that I was then able to share with Bella the story of the Prodigal Son, and the fact that that story was a mirror of my life story. How the father took the son back in, even after he had failed him so miserably. How God took me back in and forgave me all my sins. I was able to encourage her to start on a journey of seeking the Lord for herself, and getting to know the Lord Jesus, as my wife and I knew Him.

Remember I had said before, that I never had the opportunity to speak with Bella about our Savior the Lord Jesus. The Lord had not only spared her life, but He had given me an opportunity to share our faith in our Savior with our dear friend, and allowed her to be willing to listen. Oh to God be the glory. Who is like the Lord? I can only say like Paul:

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

Continued Prayer

In all this the amazing thing is, that we know very little about Bella. We knew just enough to know that we were concerned when she was ill and rejoiced when she was well. God works in ways we will never understand until we see him. The Lord has spared Bella’s life, not once, but twice. I have no idea why He did that. I do not even want to venture a guess. God Himself alone knows. I will continue to pray for Bella, that she comes to know the Lord that saved her life twice, in a real, living and personal way. That she starts walking with Him. That her Boyfriend Mark comes to know Him as well. That her family as well. This is the only thing that would give me greater joy, than the joy I had when I heard she was getting better.

Bella sis, thank you for allowing me to share your story, and my wife and I will continue to pray for you.