Cleaning Up A Smoky Mess

Cleaning Up A Smoky Mess

Please help us against our enemies, for all human help is useless. With God’s help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes. Psalm 108:12-13

“Dr. Anderson, I’m dying. I just know it. Can you help me?” Clyde said.

I had known Clyde for a long time. He was a tough guy, and he had raised his family the same way. I knew he must be scared because he’d come to see me straight from the fields—he still had wet mud on his boots and overalls.

“Now hold on, Clyde,” I said. “Let’s tackle this together.”

Clyde had been a farmer all his life and a smoker nearly as long. I’d occasionally see him driving his tractor in the fields, and it was hard to tell whether the rising smoke was from the tractor or from his ever-present cigarette.

“Tell me why you came in today.”

“This morning I started coughing like I usually do, but this time I coughed up a cup of blood.”

“I know that must be frightening for you. But let’s turn your fear over to God and pray. We’ll ask him to help us through the medical maze that lies ahead.”

After we prayed, I arranged for him to have some tests and meet with a specialist.

When the CT scan results came back, they confirmed Clyde’s fear—there was a mass on the right lower lobe of his lung. The other scans were clear, and there were no metastatic lesions, which was the first of many answered prayers.

The pulmonary and thoracic surgeons agreed that a lobectomy would be the best chance for cure. The following week, Clyde had his surgery, and everything went perfectly. That was the second answered prayer.

Clyde’s recovery proceeded on schedule, and he was back in the saddle by spring planting. This time, it was only diesel smoke wafting in the air. I counted that as a third answered prayer.

When Clyde came in for his next checkup, he said, “Last year’s mess with that lung cancer was hard, but God did so many good things through it. I don’t smoke anymore, and my faith has never been stronger.”

I was glad that Clyde was able to see his recovery as the miracle it was. And it was wonderful to see him become a new man in Christ.

TODAY’S RX

Do you need to clean up the mud in your life? Jesus has the living water to do the job.

Father, strengthen my faith throughout this time in my life. Help me to see the good you’re doing. Thank you for all the blessings you’ve bestowed on me.