Even though Dad was starting to wake up, he was becoming agitated and the nurses continued to sedate him. We were so disappointed when we heard this. For weeks we had clung to the words of the doctor on the video call that once Dad had the trach, they could wake him up and he'd be back to his old self. This still hadn't happened! On Monday, May 4, five weeks into his hospitalization, he was once again sedated so that he couldn’t respond to Mom when she called. This was such a disappointment to her, and I was frustrated by our helplessness to do anything. I kept thinking, “If only Mom could sit with Dad and hold his hand and talk to him, then maybe he would stop being so agitated and they can get him off the meds completely!” But of course COVID made that impossible, so we had to just let them keep putting Dad under. I began to worry about how this could permanently affect him. Would he remember us when they finally allowed him to wake up? Would prolonged use of the sedation cause irreversible damage?
As I had several times before, I once again got the sense that there was more going on than I knew. There was some sort of spiritual battle taking place and Dad was in the center of it. Now I’m not a big “spiritual warfare” person. I've always shrunk away from that, but now I sensed that God wanted me to pray for Dad. And I needed someone to pray with me!
I didn’t want to bother Mom, and I had a lady at Bible study I almost called, but when I actually took the time to ask God what to do (like I should have immediately!), He gave me the name of a dear family friend who is a member of Mom and Dad’s church. She is a sweet, strong woman who was going to the hospital parking lot several times a week with another friend (who I didn’t know) to pray for Dad’s healing!
I didn’t have her number, but I did have her e-mail, so I sent her a quick note. She called me back within five minutes. When I explained to her how I was feeling, she completely understood. “I just got chills when you told me that,” she said. “Now we know how to pray!” She explained that her friend was already praying for angels in Dad’s room. They had been planning to pray the following day, but because of an appointment, they were actually planning to pray that afternoon, so God had already worked it out.
Then she prayed with me, in the name of Jesus, for safety for Dad and an end to whatever battle was going on. I hung up the phone feeling encouraged and strengthened. God was rallying His warriors to pray for Dad and He would answer!
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