Earlier this morning, I heard an ambulance near my house. As I listened, trying to hear where it was headed, I couldn’t help thinking that it could have been in my driveway. Hearing the sirens reminded me of my bout with appendicitis. Prior to having surgery, I felt so horrible that all I could do was sleep. When I finally had the appendectomy, the surgeon told me it was a miracle that I made it in for an examination. Although my appendix never ruptured (praise the Lord), it was so infected that it had gangrened.
Many of the processes that support our lives are so subconscious that we take them for granted. Some might even attribute their health and strength to their lifestyle choices. They assume H1N1 and other diseases miss them because they use hand sanitizer, exercise, or eat healthy. But the ambulance this morning, and my appendix two years ago, reminded me of the source of our well-being. I think Paul said it best, “For in him we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28, New Living Translation).
If you’re reading this email, then you’re a beneficiary of God’s keeping power. Your alarm clock didn’t wake you up; an alarm clock is still beeping, and the owner won’t hear it. You’re alive because God keeps your body working properly. I guess that’s why the psalmist wrote, “Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord!” (Psalm 150:6, New Living Translation).