An Angel in the Office

Joy, I need to go home right away. I don’t feel well; I think the air-conditioning in the office is affecting my sinuses.” This, coming from my husband, meant that he really needed to get out of the office. I sensed the urgency in his voice. So although it was about 1:30 in the afternoon, I responded immediately. I left my office, drove to his office, and took him home.

 As soon as he entered the house, he headed for the bedroom and went under the covers. After spending a few minutes with him to be sure that he was all right, I returned to work. That night he had a fever and did not seem to rest very well.

The next morning before I left for work, I administered some home remedies and left my husband to rest, as it was obvious that he needed more. At work early in the afternoon, I casually remarked to the secretary that my husband had a fever and a cough and was unable to go to work. “Go home and take him to the doctor!” she told me in a commanding tone. I tried to explain that I would see how he was by the next morning. But she insisted, “Go home and take him now!” I obeyed. The doctor said my husband had a viral infection, which turned out to be dengue. The extent of his illness was such that he was ordered to rest for three weeks—something unheard of for my husband.

I have since thought, What if I had not obeyed the secretary? Would my husband have needed to be hospitalized? Would he have died? After all, the doctor explained that without adequate rest and fluid intake, my husband certainly could have died.

 One of the ways in which God speaks to us is through ordinary people—a friend, a sibling, a child, a colleague, or a secretary. Am I willing to listen and obey? God also speaks to me through His Word. My devotional text the morning I left my sick husband at home to rest was Isaiah 30:21: “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left” (KJV).

 Lord, help me be willing to listen to Your voice by whatever means You choose. May I, like Samuel, say, “Speak, your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10, NLT).

 Carol Joy Fider