Psalm 103 God Forgives All of our Iniquities and Heals our Diseases

Two months ago Richie and I traveled to NYC.  We took a 4:10 bus that morning from Allentown and were in the city before 6:00.  Richie was scheduled for ambulatory surgery at Sloan-Kettering.  God used 3 special people to help guide us through that long day.  Once in the city we had to get from Sloan on 53rd Street to the hospital on York Ave. and 67th.  The guard at the front desk at 53rd told us that it was too early for the Sloan shuttle to be operating.  We would have to take the subway or a taxi.  This is when we met Roy.  He had been talking to the guard.  He said to us, “I am going that way; I will get you on the right train”.  He was immediately bold in the witness of his Christian faith.  As we stood by the ticket window at the train station to get our transit authority card, Roy went into his backpack and pulled out his small Bible which was neatly protected in a plastic bag.  He opened it to Psalm 103, handed it to me, and told me to read it.  He told us how special that chapter was to him and had been to other members of his family.  I read out loud, “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, Bless His Holy Name!”  Verse 3 said, “Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases”.  I knew the Lord was walking with us.  Roy traveled with us until we had to change trains.  He told us how much he loved the Lord and that his mission was to share his faith by helping others.  He directed us to our train connection and then continued on his way traveling on another line.  He wished God’s blessings on our day and lives and we did the same to him.  We will never cross each others paths again but God had him intersect our lives on that November day. 

The second person who connected us to God was the person we call “The little church lady”.  She appeared just as Richie was going to be taken to the operating room.  She asked if she could say a prayer for him.  She lifted up to God such a sweet meaningful prayer asking Him for protection and healing for Richie and for peace for me.  She knew that the staff was waiting to transport him but she did not rush her words.  The staff very respectively stood by until the prayer was completed.  It was a special moment and we will always remember that peaceful pause for prayer before his surgery that day.  We were in the right place and God was with us.

The third angel whom God placed in our lives that day was the taxi driver who drove us from the hospital back to Port Authority.  Richie’s surgery went well and he was discharged to go home about 1:15.  It was two days before Thanksgiving and the city was bustling with people and traffic.  Joseph, our taxi driver, was Haitian.  He loved to talk and was so considerate and pleasant.  We told him that we were hoping to catch the 2:00 bus back to Allentown so we could get to the Kennel to pick up our dog, Molly, before the Kennel closed at 5:00.  He tried so hard to get us there in time and succeeded.  He knew just the right route to take to bypass some of the traffic congestion and was able to drop us off at the 9^th Avenue entrance to Port authority just minutes before the bus departed.  We were very grateful to Joseph for his timing, encouragement, and driving expertise.  

We thank the Lord for seeing us through that day, for a successful surgery, and for the three kind people He placed in our lives to light up our way.  When I look back on Richie’s day of surgery, Psalm 103 will always come to mind.  I will continue to “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name!”  God is the Great Physician.  He forgives our sins, heals our diseases, directs our path, and guides our steps.  He places people in our lives to help us on our physical and spiritual journeys.  Lord, bless them as they have blessed us.   May you be glorified in each of our lives!