I’ve been witness to this many times. Some of my eye-witness accounts originate in prayer meetings or in worship services, but the vast majority of them originate in the hands of skilled doctors and surgeons. How many times have we heard a doctor say, “Somebody was praying today!” Or, “The only reason she is alive is because God did something incredible here.” Many times I’ve heard the phrase, “There is no other way to explain this than to say, ‘This was a miracle!’”! We have fertile ground for those miracles right here in Hempstead County. 

This part of the world has been home to many great doctors through the years. Often the doctor becomes like a member of the family. He cares for you when you are scared about the future, worried about your kids, in a moment of crisis, and in times of deep grief. He is also the one who gets to say, “You are a picture of health!” when it’s deserved. I can think of doctor’s names and immediately smile. That’s why I smiled when I heard that an effort was being made to purchase our hospital and grow it. 

You’ve likely read the reports of a joint effort between our County and City to purchase our hospital. You’ve also likely heard that the Pafford-Gresham family took on the challenge to save our hospital. I can’t say enough good about this news! In the short run, this means that our community and the surrounding areas will have good healthcare into the future. Businesses can rest assured their employees will be well cared for. Parents can trust the care their children will be provided. Adults can rest easy, trusting the diagnoses they’ve been given are not just a part of a system, but will be cared for until good health can be pronounced. Local hospitals can still be a strong part of the healthcare system and I am thankful ours will be.

Healthcare has become such a business in the last few decades. Large insurance conglomerates have driven up the cost of every single piece of the market. The days of knowing your doctor before you need him seem to be beyond us. The day of shopping at the pharmacy because you trust them and not just because they have the cheapest price seem to have passed. But not so in the small, local hospital. Business should not be first here. People must remain on the top of the list and their care should always be a priority. Why? Because in a small town, the hospital care givers must live with, go to school with, worship with and shop with those they treat. If good care is not what defines the small hospital staff, they won’t last long.

I see a strong biblical mandate just below the surface of this conversation. As our Creator, life has always mattered to God. His command to take care of our bodies doesn’t just apply to Scripture memory. In God, we find the strongest advocate for long, healthy life. Isn’t He, after all, the very One who makes miracles possible? Isn’t He the One who gets the credit when the doctor does the fifth CAT scan and declares the cancer is absolutely gone? Isn’t God the One the doctor points to when he comes out of surgery and says, “Against all odds, your wife is going to be just fine.” Yes, our faithful Father wants us to pursue health. And not in a bragging, look-at-me kind of way, but as a gift straight from Him. His gift of life is certainly something to be celebrated. I am beyond thankful we can do that stronger, better and for a lot longer because of the wisdom of all those concerned in our local hospital. Aren’t you?

If you haven’t prayed for our local doctors, nurses, healthcare workers and hospital administrators in a while, I suggest it is time you do so. Can we do that right now? “Father, thank you for sustaining our lives in a way that is good. You bring us so much joy when we wake up healthy! Please bless those in our community who work hard for our long term health. Give them wisdom, rest and health they can enjoy. Bless their families. We know the work they are called to is strenuous and long. May they be surrounded by encouraging words and gifts often! Let them know they are loved and appreciated! Thank you for the gift of health and for allowing our community to continue enjoying that gift through the hands of our hospital faculty and staff. We give you all the credit for the miracle of life among us. Amen.”