There is something going round my head at the moment. It is something to do with First Aid.
I saw the Vinnie Jones advert today - how to do cardiac massage to the tune of Staying Alive. And then the other day on the radio was a debate about teaching children lifesaving techniques in school. Then on Facebook I read an article about what to do if you have a heart attack and you are on your own ( You cough. Deep and regularly until help arrives)
God seems to be drawing my attention to First Aid. How to save a life. Maybe I need to do a refresher course because it's been about twenty years since I did any first aid. Maybe I should tell you the story .... are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.
It was my birthday. August 21st. I was living in Portobello by the sea in Scotland and my car needed to be serviced. It was booked in first thing so I drove it to the garage and because it was a beautiful warm sunny morning I opted to walk back along the beach. Quite a distance, but I wasnt in any hurry ( it must have been a Saturday - no work) The beach was totally deserted except for a pinprick figure in the far distance which I made out was an adult and small child who were coming towards me. I walked along happily enjoying the sun on the sea and thinking about nothing in particular. The other two were coming closer and I could now see they were grandfather and small grandchild. And then, at the same moment, we both saw something in the water. And in a split second I realised it was a person. And they were face down in the water. The grandad must have seen him at the same time because we both started to run towards the drowning man. He was wearing swimming trunks and was floating in about three inches of water just a couple of feet from the edge of the beach. I ran in and the grandad and I took and arm each and we pulled him up onto the beach. There was a second when I wondered how long he had been there and what we were going to find when we flipped him over. But we turned him and thats when I started yelling at him to breathe in the name of Jesus. And I was praying in tongues frantically and rebuking death and commanding life to come into him. Grandad was looking at me as though I was mad. The little girl was crying. Grandad then shouted at me to go and get help ( days before mobile phones :-) ) and it was then I realised we were miles from anywhere. But the bus depot backed onto the promenade so I sprinted up the bank, jumped the fence and went to find a phone. There was a man with a huge machine and ear defenders on who looked at me and couldnt hear me yelling for a phone. He pointed towards and office and I burst in and told the two men who were sitting at a desk that someone had drowned and to call the ambulance. One guy immediately jumped up and sprinted down to the beach and started to do mouth to mouth. Oddly it had not occurred to me to try this.
The tide was coming in. We kept having to drag the guy further up the beach. The police arrived within about two minutes and were brilliant. I knew the man was dead. He was dead cold. I had never encountered a dead person before. But I knew he was dead. The ambulance crew confirmed he was dead but said they would continue cpr until they got to hospital. I gave a statement to the police and when they asked me what I had done at the moment I found the man, I said I had prayed and told the police lady that I believed in miracles.
I went home. Felt numb. It was not a great birthday
Three days later my boss at work came in with a cutting from the local paper. It said that a man had died that day in hospital after having been pulled out of the sea the previous weekend. I was stunned. I was sure he would have been dead on arrival at hospital. Had my prayers actually brought him back?? Then later that day I got a phonecall from his daughter thanking me for trying to help her Dad. He had been an epileptic and had gone for a morning swim, and had a fit in the water. He was alive when he reached hospital and although he did not regain consciousness his family were able to be with him when he passed away. His daughter was very grateful that we had found him and I was able to tell her that I had been praying for him as I had pulled him out of the water.
It was after this that I went on a first aid course. And I decided that I was going to pray for every and any dead person I meet. So far Ive prayed for one other. No miracles yet but........
So why did I tell you all that? Ummmmm....... Im not sure. Except that there is more than one way to save a life. And more than one life to save. My drowned man had a physical life, which was lost, and a spiritual life.........who knows if that was lost or saved? First aid might have saved his physical life had we got there sooner I suppose. But it would not have saved his 'real life'. Would not have assured him of an eternal life with God. Only faith in Jesus can do that.
Lord thank you that lives are being saved by the first aid campaigns on the television at the moment. We all need to know what to do in an emergency. But Lord, remind us that there is a greater emergency going on all around us all the time. People are dead in their spirits. Separated from You and disconnected from the source of eternal life. Just as we would leap into action to try to save a dying man Lord, let us not hold back from offering the message of eternal life to those who are destined for a dead eternity.
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