I was at my colleague's going away dinner party when I received a call I didn't want to accept. I had just arrived at my friend's house and was helping her set up when I received a vibration on my phone. I quickly glanced at it, about to dismiss it, when I noticed who it was. My son, who should've been in the middle of a volleyball game, was calling me. My heart sank as I knew something was wrong. I answered quickly and anxiously as my son told me that he was on the way to the Emergency Room with a broken finger. WHAT?! He told me briefly what had happened, and I exchanged it with some insurance logistics that he needed to know. I ended the call and sat silently, staring at the wall where I was sitting. I shook my head in disbelief. It was a familiar feeling I had the year before when I received a call from a team mom passing on the news that my son had sprained his ankle during the warm-ups before the game. I had prayed and hoped that would be the first and last time I received a call during a match.
We made it a habit of praying for our children before every game, and this wasn't any different. I drove to my friend's house and repeated my usual declarations over my son and the game's outcome. I eagerly awaited for my sister's texts with the game's stats since I wouldn't be able to watch this game since they changed the time. So when I received a call from my son telling me he had to stop playing because his bone was protruding out of his finger, I had to shake off the most horrible thoughts. The other players' parents started to text me, informing me what I already knew. I actually stopped reading their messages and immediately went into prayer mode. I reached out to my family and friends, passed on what I had learned, and asked them to intercede for my son. My friends at the party asked how I was; all I could respond with was that I trusted God to care for His son. I had to be intentional with my thoughts and believe my son was okay. Just as I declared the outcome of the game, I declared the outcome of my son's finger.
My husband asked my son if he wanted him at the hospital, but with the three-hour drive, he said he would probably be done before he arrived. Thankfully, my son always had a friend, and his coaches were with him, so we knew he was not alone. We waited for the updates and didn't stop praying. We interceded fervently and believed in a favorable outcome even before we heard the news.
"Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." ~Mark 11:24
We declared our son would use this testimony to bring attention to the Greatest Physician. My son would share with everyone what had happened during the volleyball match and, more importantly, what happened afterward. My son would use his testimony to evangelize who Jesus is. We weren't going to waste this injury and miracle. My son will make God famous (not that He needs it).
"Let's make God famous." ~Psalms 34:3 (TPT)
It was about 10 minutes after I returned home when we received a message from our son, who shared the miraculous news that his finger was not broken but dislocated. Shockingly, he didn't require stitches either! This was God answering our prayers. My son couldn't believe it; he saw his bone poking out of the skin. How could this be possible? Everyone who had a chance to see the injury or photos of it agreed he had a fracture, so when he told everyone the outcome, no one believed him. God answered our prayers!
We recognized God's handprints throughout the night when we reviewed the sequence of events.
1. There are usually multiple games in a day and several trainers on site, so the trainer my son usually sees who knows my son well rapidly responded to my son's injury and directed him to the closest ER.
2. His teammate, a trusted friend who lives near the University, knew precisely where to go. There was no need to obtain directions or use a map; it was a straight shot.
3. Emergency rooms don't always have specialists on-site, so to have an orthopedist available at the hospital to examine my son's finger, conclude that there were no broken bones or chips, and put his bone back in place without surgery was God's doing.
4. My son didn't require stitches either; the skin God created is closing up fine.
5. My son's team had a tri-match in Maryland (40 minutes away) the following day, so it was convenient that we could see him in less than 24 hours and evaluate him ourselves. And he was in pretty good spirits for someone who dislocated his finger.
6. God knew I was still emotional about the incident and had my sister and brother-in-law available to accompany us to the match.
7. No infections, and his pinky is healing well.
We are sharing my son's testimony with anyone who will listen. We will contribute to making God famous. You have my son's permission to share his testimony, too. ☺
I'll share what we're praying through in my next post, but I want to take this opportunity to praise God for answering our prayers and healing my son. If you don't know yet, prayers do work. ☺
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