13 I was pushed so hard[c] I nearly died,
but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord was my strength and protection;
he was my saving help!
Reflection
The question posed for today’s devotional is “What is something you’d like to ask God’s help with? I recently encountered my own life-threatening situation requiring God’s intervention for which I shout “Hosanna!”
Footnotes to this passage remind us that the petition “Hosanna” “Save Us” was not only shouted by the crowds on “Palm Sunday” but by the ancient Hebrew people long before Jesus walked the earth. Psalm 118:14 is an echo of Moses’ victory song, and recalls the exodus, which is the Bible’s primary example of rescue from death to life. The psalmist suggests that his or her rescue and any future deliverances are extensions of God’s life-giving work that was demonstrated in the exodus out of Egypt.
I am not someone who is sick very often, and my recent hospitalization was truly scary. As my husband and I re-visit the chain of events that initiated “Hosanna!” from our mouths, we think back to 3 weeks ago. As the hospital staff and several specialists searched for the source of sepsis, over a 5-day period each one discovered a piece of the puzzle that led to my healing. I
watched and listened as they connected the dots and delivered antibiotics that fought the infection. I longed for a solution to the “enemy within” that would be the key to healing and release from the hospital. And then as three different specialists put their heads together it seemed I might be able to be weaned from IV antibiotics to oral medications. What my husband and I have come to realize is that each doctor held a piece of God’s healing Spirit.
”Hosanna!” “God Save Us” has become my Lenten cry. I am not out of the woods yet with several follow-up appointments to help the healing process. We are very thankful for the medical team who received God’s healing Spirit and shared their knowledge and wisdom so that I might be released from the hospital.
by Kathleen Stolz
For Pondering and Prayer
As I mentioned earlier in my reflection, I am not sick very often. It takes a major event to get me to see a doctor, so arriving by ambulance at the ER is highly unusual. My hospital experience brings to mind the saying “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear” which is often attributed to Lao Tzu, the ancient Chinese philosopher. This spiritual awareness is also connected to other traditions. The Bible contains Luke 6:40 which states, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.” This verse suggests that a student’s growth and development are linked to their teacher’s influence, and that a student who is fully trained will eventually embody the qualities of their teacher. Jesus, the Great Healer was surely the Spirit embodied in the specialists I met in the hospital. These doctors were remarkable, and I am so thankful for their years of training.
Prayer: Healing Spirit, we are thankful for the countless teachers and students, doctors and scientists who have spent years and years seeking answers to medical challenges. Each of us has encountered medical staff who have given their lives to create a safer planet for humanity to inhabit. Let us not take for granted the cost, financial and personal that our medical personnel have dedicated to learning and helping heal your children. Hosanna! Amen!
