Regardless Of The Threat, God Can Overcome

Regardless Of The Threat, God Can Overcome

At that time some Pharisees said to him, “Get away from here if you want to live! Herod Antipas wants to kill you!” Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox that I will keep on casting out demons and healing people today and tomorrow; and the third day I will accomplish my purpose.” Luke 13:31-32

When the Pharisees threatened to kill Jesus if he wouldn’t stop healing the sick and demon possessed, Jesus didn’t stop. He had come to do his Father’s work, and nothing would deter him. In my medical practice, I’ve never been threatened by religious leaders, but at times I have been threatened by a patient.

At our local jail, when an inmate is sick or injured, a jailer will accompany the prisoner to the emergency room for treatment.

During my first year of practice, a man who was jailed for domestic abuse became ill with severe nausea, vomiting, and dehydration. Preliminary testing confirmed my hunch that he was suffering withdrawal from an abused substance—in this case PCP, which was one of the most dangerous illegal drugs at the time.

We decided to keep him overnight, so the jailer spent the night with him in the hospital room, and a second guard would relieve him at the next shift change.

When the patient was so sick that he slept most of the night, the first guard decided to leave before the second jailer had arrived. The patient was still asleep when he left.

Minutes later, a nurse on a routine check found the inmate standing on the windowsill pounding on the locked window. He was wide-eyed and shouting profanities. I saw the nurse backing out of the room and went to see what I could do.

PCP can sometimes linger and cause wild behavior and hallucinations. As I slowly entered the room and sat down, the man remained on the ledge, spewing vulgarities at me.

“Can you get down, please?” I said. “There’s really no place for you to go.”

“If you make me get down, I’ll cut you,” he said.

Not wanting to agitate him further, I sat and quietly prayed. It seemed to work. The longer I sat praying under my breath and refusing to leave, the calmer the inmate became.

Eventually, the new jailer arrived, and a nurse was able to administer a sedative.

TODAY’S RX

When chaos reigns around you, remain still and know that God will calm the storm.

Lord, be with me in fearful moments. Permeate the air with your peace and cast out all evil. I know you can overcome whatever threatens me, and I thank you for watching over me.