“I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.” – 2 Timothy 1:3
On February 5, 2012, Stephanie and Robert McDonald of Sahuarita, Arizona were at the home of friends watching the Super Bowl game when their 2-year old son Jace was discovered on the bottom of the family swimming pool.
“When we got him from the water, he was blue,” Robert said. “We just started doing CPR.”
When first-responders arrived and took over, the family laid hands on their boy and the prayers began.
Jace was flown to the hospital and his parents feared the worst. The next day, February 6, a doctor asked everybody to leave Jace’s room except Stephanie and Robert.
“He told us that Jace was non-responsive, that ‘Your son is done, he’s gone. There’s nothing you can do,’” Robert said.
They were told Jace was going to die.
The call for prayer went out and thousands of people responded — many of whom were following every step of Jace’s journey on the church’s Facebook page.
Jace was on a roller coaster. He didn’t respond to commands and fluid was building up in his lungs. Jace had contracted pneumonia.
A prayer vigil was held on February 7 at Sahuarita Town Lake drew hundreds, and churches from Colorado to Florida sent messages of hope via Facebook. The church was getting stronger, but the doctors wouldn’t budge in their diagnosis. All the doctors gave up on Jace except one. A third-year resident at the hospital believed just as the family did. He had seen Jace the first night and saw a gag reflex from the boy in the ICU. This meant something to him, and he held out hope. Days passed.
“They did tests and (the resident) was messing with the ventilator ... when the monitors sprang to life,” Robert said. It was an unexpected good sign. The doctor ordered a chest X-ray — Jace’s lungs were clearing up. He was stabilizing.
Not long after, Jace’s eyes fluttered as somebody prayed over him. Then he began moving his arms and legs — agitated at having a ventilator. Another good sign.
The church continued to pray, and each passing hour brought more good signs. Jace opened his eyes. He spoke. He recognized family. He gave high-fives.
One of the doctors who had given up on Jace said: “The real reason I’m here is to tell you your son, when he arrived, was dead. There is no medical evidence or reason for your son to be alive. He’s a miracle, and you need to remind him of this.”
“I attribute this to God and his son, Jesus,” Robert said Tuesday. “I attribute it to the promises that are in the living word of God, the Bible, that if you pray, your prayers will be answered. It’s an honor to see first-hand God’s greatness.”
In all instances, remember to pray. Today in prayer, thank Christ for the extraordinary privilege to come to Him at anytime in prayer.
"I am so busy now that if I did not spend three hours each day in prayer, I could not get through the day." - Martin Luther
God’s Word: “With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.” – 2 Thessalonians 1:11
By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2009, Devotional E-Mail
DEVOTIONS IN 2 TIMOTHY †