Weekly Newsletter – Dec 15, 2017

Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
(Jeremiah 29:12, KJV)

The knock on the examination room door was resolute. “Dr. Oliver, may I speak with you?”– the voice in the other side was unmistakably insistent. Once in the hall, the person knocking told me, “It’s Dr. Hansen on the phone.” I stepped into my office to take the call. With some trepidation, I lifted the receiver to my ear.

I was the junior partner in a busy practice that included 20 obstetrician and gynecology physicians, who were spread over four offices. Jim Hansen was one of the senior physicians who worked at the office farthest from mine. During private conversations at our monthly staff meetings, we shared our mutual faith; and I had been grateful to know that there was another Christian believer among my new colleagues. But why was he calling me in the middle of the day?

“Jim, what’s going on?” I began. “Dan, I’m in real trouble here. I need you to pray. I don’t know what else to do. We’ve been in the operating room for four hours. It was just a simple laparoscopic procedure, but we got into some bleeding. I called in backup surgeons. We’ve given her four units of blood–more is on the way. We’ve tried everything. Dan, I don’t know what else to do. I had to take a break for a minute, and all I can think of is to ask you to pray.”

“Jim, let’s do that right now,” I said. I had experienced miraculous answers to prayer, and I am absolutely certain that there is no problem God could not and would not solve. Thrilled at the privilege of laying this case before the Lord, I poured out my heart in urgent supplication on behalf of Dr. Hansen and his patient. When I concluded, Jim sounded somewhat heartened as he said, “Thanks, Dan. I guess I better go back to the operating room now. Keep praying.”

But I never had the chance to continue my prayers. After we hung up, I headed back to my patient in the exam room. As I reached for the doorknob, the office phone rang and my nurse whispered, “It’s Dr. Hansen again.”

“Jim–” I managed to say before being interrupted. “Dan, you won’t believe it!” The voice on the other side was ecstatic.” I went back into the operating room, and I heard one of the surgeons announce– ‘I think that’s it!’ The bleeding had just stopped. He said he didn’t know what he had done, but it worked. I just had to call and tell you, even though I have no idea what just happened.”

“Jim.” I remonstrated, “you know what happened; God has just answered our prayers! C’mon, we’ve got to thank Him now.” And our voice rose in joyful gratitude to the Great Physician– our God who is alive, who hears and answers our prayers, and who stopped the bleeding in the patient.

– Daniel Oliver, LLUSM class of 1983