The God Who Answers

Today one of my neighbors had an emergency and called 911. The ambulance arrived shortly afterward and administered help as needed.

However, she needed to be transported to the hospital.

One of the emergency medical services team members stayed in the home with her while two others went outside to get the stretcher from the ambulance. Though they tried and tried, they could not retrieve the stretcher. It would not budge.

Finally they turned the engine on and were able to successfully get it onto the ground. However, it was still connected somehow to the back of the ambulance, and they could not move it until their team member came out of the house to help them.

What should have taken a few minutes took over thirty to accomplish. They went into the home and brought my neighbor out on the stretcher after what seemed like forever. They tried to place her into the ambulance, but they could not do it, though they tried and tried. Two of them wheeled her back into her home and waited with her there.

Eventually another ambulance arrived on the scene. They were able to easily remove their stretcher, and soon my neighbor was wheeled toward the second vehicle without further delay. It took only about five minutes before she was on her way to the hospital. Meanwhile the first ambulance and the three men who arrived in it had more trouble trying to get the stretcher back into it. They eventually succeeded—without the patient who had originally placed the call. As I looked on I prayed they would get her to the hospital before it was too late. I hoped it was not a life-or-death situation. Think how good our heavenly Father is: when we call Him, He is always there. Do you remember the story of Elijah telling King Ahab it would not rain for three years? At the end of the drought, when all the people had gathered to watch which God would answer with fire, the prophets of Baal prayed all day without their gods answering them. When Elijah called on God to accept his sacrifice and so prove who was the true God, the Lord responded without any hesitation. Our God hears the prayers of His people.

He alone is the true God, and He is so good!

Bessie Russell Haynes