The Symphony of the Holy: Part 2

Recognizing God’s Healing Presence

I recently experienced a situation that was extremely full of chaotic dissonant moments that nearly overwhelmed me. I want to share this story with you because I think the way it unfolded holds an example of how we can draw our strength from God in order to make the choice in our formative movement of our unfolding symphony, that reflects the theme of God’s Holy symphony. You yourself may have had similar experiences.

In the month of March very unexpectedly, I developed a serious, extremely painful emergency health condition that required major life-threatening surgery. In a flurry of pain, panic, & chaotic turmoil, I was rushed off to the hospital in an ambulance not knowing what awaited me. I remember praying that God would be with my family & that I would survive. But after that, I remember very little until after the surgery & extensive time in the recovery room. Shortly after being in the room in a post-op condition, I developed a serious problem related to the surgery that required an involved treatment.

The treatment was extremely painful & lengthy & needless to say, tumultuous. I did everything I could think of at the time to try to relax, everything except pray that is but not surprisingly nothing helped. I would say that 99% of the time in my life I live rooted in prayer. Living in a deep partnership with God in a covenant relationship through prayer is part of my identity. However, in the darkness of that night, I was so distracted by the pain & subsequent fear that I was unable on my own to hear God’s healing whispers. The noise in the room of all the medical staff coming & going & talking as they worked together to save my life, blocked my connection with God the Healer. There was nothing I could do except pause, withdraw from all the noise & wait in silence for the fear & pain to subside. It was only then, as I paused in silence, that I was able to recognize God’s voice & presence in the room.

I believe that in times of suffering God may send someone to remind us of our ever-present God by reflecting His light in order to allow His light to transform us & strengthen us to help us heal. That night, he sent a nurse called Peaches. She had caught my attention earlier for she clearly reflected a very strong spirit through her actions & her words. As I began to watch her, I remembered how I had always turned to God for strength & hope & God had always come to me. Amidst all my pain, very spontaneously, I asked Peaches if she could & would sing to me of God. She paused for a brief moment & then she began to sing. She sang from her heart empowered by the Holy Spirit of God’s power & might, of His compassion & strength & of His healing love. As she sang, gradually I heard others in the room joining in singing. As they all sang, my pain & fear gradually decreased & a peace that can only come from God filled the room.

My strength & hope returned as I rested in the Lord. The treatment ended eventually & I slept all night peacefully in the arms of God. I had choices to make that night as I moved through the formation of my symphony. I chose to pause & then, listen. In listening in the stillness, I was able to recognize God’s presence & ask to have His presence brought into the light. Peaches’ singing was a reminder, a proclamation that God was with not only me but with all of us in that room. It was a transformative moment, that through the prayerful song of God’s healing touch, transformed pain & fear into life giving hope, strength & peace, which contributed to the formation of God’s composed symphony in my soul.

Sometimes as I lay in bed resting now in post-op recovery, I like to think of God as a great symphony & the various spiritual paths as instruments in an orchestra. The gift that we have is like music waiting to be played. We cannot play all the instruments. All we can do, is find the instrument that suits us best, play it as well as we can & add our music to the great symphony of Divine creation & God will do the rest. AMEN

~Posted by Rev Kathryn Bindig, MDiv. MS; Pastoral Care Minister with assistance from Rich Muscatello; Director of Business Development & Strategy