Out of Control

I believe that in some instances, the presence of God can explain what is regarded unexplainable, especially dealing with medical situations. I believe that when we experience health issues, we should certainly pray, and when we have a physical breakthrough, we should praise the Great Physician.  I believe that God is interested in our health, and there may be times when we see Him move in a way that is perhaps beyond our human understanding. We can find this encouraging passage in James chapter 5:
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.
14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

A Faithwire article shares the story of actor Jesse Hutch, who once worked as a whitewater rafting guide.  As the article notes:

One day, while working on a river, things took a turn he could have never expected. It was a beautiful and sunny day, but Hutch said the “water level was at a pretty high peak.”

“This particular rapid … was kicking … and there’s three standing waves,” he recalled, noting he was helping lead others on the water at the time.

His boat capsized and Hutch related: “All of a sudden, I just feel this pressure on my body,” he said. “I’m like, ‘Wow, I went down pretty fast.'” Faithwire states:

Hutch wasn’t panicking, but he knew he needed to swim out. However, the pressure made it impossible. He was forced to make some tough decisions, including going limp to try and relax his muscles and maximize the oxygen he had left.

Water went into his lungs and he relates that it felt like "liquid concrete."  The article continues:

Realizing his life would very likely end, the actor began to recognize he might be “done,” calling it one of the “scariest moments” of his life.

“I knew in my brain I was finished,” Hutch said. “And, immediately after that, I had 100% peace because I ended up in this position where I was like, ‘OK, I’m in your hands, God … I completely surrender.'”

Ironically, despite the pain, chaos, and uncertainty, Hutch said he felt total peace.

“That was the most peace that I ever felt,” he said.

Then he "blacked out" and floated down the river, where he was rescued after being underwater for an estimated 11 to 22 minutes.  He recovered quickly, and Faithwire notes:

Hutch was already a Christian when the accident unfolded, but he said it continues to teach him new lessons, particularly about God and control.

“It gave me a whole new perspective on what it means to let go,” he said. “And I’m still learning from that experience, to be honest. I still have times where I … believe it or not, still find myself trying to get control and be in charge.”

Hutch continued, “And when I went through that drowning experience and drowned to death, God literally taught me a lesson that said, ‘You control none of this.'”

An obvious takeaway here is that God is faithful, and whether we stare down death or wake up in the morning, we can know that He has kept us alive for a reason - our time and His purposes for our time on earth are not completed.  If we see God do what can be considered a "miracle," we can be confident that's according to God's will, and we should give Him praise accordingly.

Actor Jesse Hutch learned a valuable life and faith lesson about control, as well.  We recognize that He is sovereign, and our days are in His hands.  And, each day, we can surrender the decisions of our lives to His guiding hand.  He is full of wisdom and strength, and when we feel helpless, we can know that He is in control.