The Least of These

1 Corinthians 1:26 ESV

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.

Perhaps if the maker of the universe moved in the grandeur befitting His nature, then all men would acknowledge Him. But in His infinite wisdom, He chooses to be subtle in our fallen realm. It requires spiritual sensitivity to discern the tendency of God to reveal Himself through the things ignored by men. I am at times surprised when even mature believers discount the movements of God; the God who hides in the things we consider least. Often, the quest for spiritual alignment leads to paths despised and overlooked. But it is on such paths that one learns the beauty of submission. Having done life on my strength and failed, I realized the only way to liberty is through giving it up. Nothing strengthens a man's confidence more than disregarding it entirely and drawing to the secret place to draw strategies from the still small voice of the Omniscient One. Strategies that frequently won't hold water in the eyes of the "wise."

But knowing the mind of God is hardly ever the end, as it is the nature of the systems of the world to challenge the voice of God. Over and over, I have witnessed my faith collapse because I believed the natural circumstances that were manipulated by the god of this world, over the promises of God. But with every successive attempt, fear grew weaker and faith stronger. The school of the spirit is experiential, many many hardly ever learn because they intellectualize God and never give themselves to encounter Ruach. Spiritual transactions demand time and endurance, but for all who remain faithful in the seasons of testing, fruits will appear for all to see. And many times, our faith is strengthened the most when we see these fruits in the lives of people we have laid off. And more often than not in my clinical practice, I encounter such miracles that reaffirm my faith in God.

Indeed, working in a mission hospital's pediatric department during the nationwide strike stretched my belief in God as the healer. It was a period that demanded selflessness amid tight working schedules and fatigue, coupled with many referrals of sick children from all public hospitals in the region. We fought for babies but God did not always shield us from heartbreaks. Indeed, nothing breaks a doctor's heart more than losing a patient in the infancy of their lives, in some cases from entirely preventable causes. But when it happens as often as it did during the strike, there is a temptation to embrace fatalism and believe it is God's permissive will. But caring for a set of four preterm neonates who were referred to our hospital due to life-threatening complications during the strike has taught me more about God than many sermons could.

I remember staying in the wards all night a couple of times because of how critical a set of preterm babies was. And with as many as three call nights a week, the burden of work eventually started overwhelming me. Some mornings, I found myself waking up from my reading table or living room sofa because I was too fatigued to walk to my bed. And even though at the time our efforts sometimes seemed to be in vain, three of the four babies have been successfully discharged as of this writing. And the fourth, now just a grower, is doing much better than anyone anticipated. But of these four babies, there is one who humbled me the most. One who reaffirmed my belief in the supremacy of God as the healer and the potency of prayer.

This baby, who was named after one of the world's best footballers, was prematurely discharged from another facility because of the strike before he could adequately breastfeed. By the time he was brought to our hospital, he was severely dehydrated with very high sodium and potassium blood levels, derangements that could easily be fatal. Besides, he had developed a severe neonatal infection and had a bleed in his brain. Despite aggressive management, the baby seemed to deteriorate. He eventually developed pancytopenia, a condition that rendered him anemic, with almost no white blood cells and with platelets ten times lower than the normal lower limit. With time, it became impossible to even draw blood samples from this baby because of how profusely he would bleed, and when we lost his intravenous access and couldn't find another, I lost all hope. This boy stretched my faith as a doctor because there was no logical way he would beat all the odds against him

During this time, I would constantly walk not the side room where this baby was and assess how the boy was doing. And to my surprise, with very little intervention, he started to improve. Many times I would find his mother kneeling next to his bed praying fervently. And eventually, other mothers began joining her. One morning while pre-rounding, I found the women in that side room joining hands in prayer. And that very morning, we were able to reestablish intravenous access and draw samples for follow-up tests. Surprisingly, without intravenous fluids or medications for more than a day, the blood sodium level had dropped from almost 188 to 140, while the Potassium had dropped from 8 then 5. Still, blood counts were low, and we had to transfuse the baby. But even after transfusion, the hemoglobin level only increased from 4 to 6, levels that were still too low for discharge.

At this point, the whole team considered the need for re-transfusion of the baby, who had improved tremendously in many ways. But at this time also, the mom requested discharge. When I discussed the need for the transfusion, I found her listening to a sermon by Pastor Jerry Eze, a pastor perhaps best known for his online prayer platform and the phrase "What God cannot do does not exist." "Hey, Bill*, your doctor Ian has come to see you!" She told the baby excitedly. " "Hey Mom, I believe Bill may still need another transfusion, his blood is still low." "No, he won't!" She replied. " Bill is healed in Jesus' name. I have other children at home I have not seen for weeks. Just repeat the tests, they will be normal." I was torn between dismissing her faith as blind and admiring her fervency. But I eventually decided to redo the test, and to our surprise, the hemoglobin, white cell, and platelet counts were high enough for a discharge! I remember when taking the discharge form to his mom, one of the mothers commented that Bill should no longer be named after a footballer but should instead be given a Bible name; preferably Emmanuel, for God was surely with him.

Indeed, He is with us, particularly the least of us. It is through the Spirit of God that the weak among men gain strength. I have seen His mightiest interventions in my life in the moments I felt most helpless. Amid the greatest setbacks, heartbreaks, and misunderstandings, God is always willing to announce His presence. Our journey of ascendancy begins when we allow Him to bring us to the end of ourselves. Only then will men see the supremacy of He who dwells within us over he who is in the world.

2 Corinthians 12:10

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.