“Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” Jonah 1:17
A lot of people try to argue about what kind of fish God sent to swallow up Jonah. Was it a whale? Was it a whale shark? Was it some weird anomaly intended for just that purpose? I have no idea. I just know that the fish was there, ready to provide Jonah with the first submarine ride in recorded history.
Here’s the cool thing about it: God prepared that fish. It wasn’t some random act that happened. The fish was there, he had the required size needed, and he was ready for the job God had in plan for him. God had prepared for Jonah’s lodging and passage on his trip to Ninevah. Unconventional, but very effective.
My family has had similar experiences in our own lives where God has prepared the way. My favorite is a story about of our second son, Ryan.
Born on a Wednesday, Ryan had arrived 9 days past his due date and 2 ounces shy of nine pounds. There was nothing unusual about that, but we noticed a few rather particular things about him: he was a self burper, and he spit up a lot. Concerned, I took him, now a week old, to the doctor. Doc examined him and proclaimed he just had an underdeveloped digestive system. In the back of my mind, a warning bell started ringing.
Ryan started spitting up even more. In days, he was projectile vomiting with every feeding. I didn’t think my baby was fine, but it was now Saturday and the doctor’s after-hours service said he was unavailable. We were told to bring him back in on Monday.
I didn’t sleep much that night. Instead, I picked up my copy of “What to Expect the First Year” and turned to the section on illnesses. I started checking off the listed anomalies and their symptoms: he wasn’t allergic to breast milk or formula. It wasn’t failure to thrive. I came upon something I’d never heard about before: pyloric stenosis. It’s a condition where the sphincter at the bottom of the stomach closes up and does not allow food to continue it’s normal journey. It’s correctable with surgery, but fatal without it. Yikes!
The next morning, we packed up our three year old, Chris, and took him to Grandpa’s. Grandpa and his unfriendly girlfriend had split up but this time, and he was a big part of Christopher’s life by now. Chris hadn’t been happy to get a baby brother and was sure Ryan was trying to steal me away , but he was more then willing to stay with Grandpa while we took Ryan to the hospital.
At the ER, the nurses listened while I explained Ryan’s symptoms and proclaimed I thought he might have pyloric stenosis. I’m sure they were impressed that I didn’t know how to pronounce it correctly at the time. I could almost hear their eyes rolling. Another mom who thinks her colicky baby is deathly ill, they seemed to be thinking. Fortunately, they weren’t the only one who heard me.
A pediatrician from Wichita was doing an internship at our small town hospital. He came into our examination room and asked to see Ryan. Our baby was whisked away for tests. Fifteen minutes later, the intern was back, nodding his head.
“You were correct,” he informed us. “He needs surgery.”
Unfortunately, Independence wasn’t equipped for pediatric surgery. We needed to take Ryan to the children’s hospital in Wichita. All Independence could do was prep him by loading him up with fluids.
Ryan was so dehydrated, they had a difficult time finding a vein. Finally, they were able to set up an IV in his scalp. My husband held down our screaming child as I stood out in the hallway crying.
I called my friend Christie in Wichita. I had been pregnant with Ryan while I was finishing up my master’s degree at Wichita State. Christie was in the same courses as I, and we’d become close friends. Her and her husband Steve were more then willing to provide lodging for Ernie and I, and Grandpa willingly looked after Chris while we were gone.
You’d probably figured out by now that the surgery was successful and Ryan is now a healthy 22 year old. But did you catch all the preparation involved?
If I didn’t have that baby book, I wouldn’t have known what was wrong with Ryan.
If the intern from Wichita hadn’t been passing by the examination room, Ryan might not have been diagnosis properly.
If my dad wasn’t back in my life, we would have had no one to take care of Christopher during this ordeal.
If I didn’t know Christie, I may not have had a supportive friend to turn to for lodging and comfort during this crisis.
God prepared to save Ryan’s life.
What had God prepared for you?