In our Weakness, He is Strong!

“Help me—help you—help him!” urged the 911 operator last week in New Haven, Connecticut. On the other line was Dave, a 2015 graduate of The 180 Center Discipleship Program. It was all surreal. Dave stopped in to chat with Jerry, a fellow tenant in the Christian living sober house. Jerry was grateful for the bed linens he received, but especially for a new landscaping job that would pay the bills. Later, Dave was in his own room with the air conditioner drowning out all sounds in the house, but he decided to move into the living room to watch some TV. It was there that he heard the loud gasping sounds. He ran to Jerry’s room and found him at the end of his bed, slouched over, and glasses falling off his face. “Jerry!” he screamed, but there was no response and his body seemed lifeless. Immediately Dave called 911.

The 911 dispatcher started asking questions right away, but Dave screamed, “He’s dying! Get someone over here!” Dave was horrified, alone in the house, and realized the urgency of the situation. He had no idea that God wanted to use him to help Jerry. Isn’t that how most of us respond though? We often look for others to do many things that we don’t have the confidence in ourselves to do. We want to avoid feeling inadequate or looking foolish. But the apostle Paul understood that our ability and strength comes from the One who declared that nothing is impossible with Him. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 Paul shares what God spoke to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.”

“David, help me—help you—help him!” the 911 dispatcher pleaded again. Finally, Dave realized he was Jerry’s last lifeline and began to listen to the dispatcher’s instructions, “Put one hand over the other and begin pushing at least two inches down. HARD! One, one thousand, two, one thousand…” Dave desperately tried to focus, but kept thinking how he was alone and needed help. Every time he became fearful, the dispatcher shouted, “No!  Keep pushing!” As soon as help arrived, the fireman ripped open Jerry’s shirt and took over the CPR. They placed electrical pads that almost looked like giant Bandaids on his chest. They took out large bags of liquid to be inserted into Jerry’s veins. Next, they strapped some type of machine onto him that pumped his chest. Dave noticed Jerry was breathing when they carried him out of the house. “Is he alive?” Dave asked. The paramedic replied, “I don’t know.”

Jerry’s emergency situation resulted in his delivery to the hospital with no identification or information about him except that he lived in a sober house. Most emergency room diagnoses from sober homes result in overdoses due to a return to previous addiction, but not this time. Jerry, otherwise known as John Doe, was diagnosed with two blockages and a cardiac arrest. No drugs or alcohol were involved. Jerry was indeed sober. Meanwhile, because of the pandemic, Dave didn’t know what hospital admitted Jerry or even if he was alive.

One thing that Dave did know was that Jerry made the decision to do a u-turn with his life before he moved into the sober house. He had received the miracle of a new life in Christ Jesus. It was Monday, September 14, 2020 and now Jerry was in need of another miracle. Dave called my husband, the pastor of The 180 Center. The church family was gathering for our weekly evening prayer meeting for New Haven. My husband shared with us and prayed for Jerry, but quickly left the meeting to support Dave.

We were amazed that God had used one of us in such a dramatic way that day, but we all knew that Jerry’s life was ultimately in God’s hands. “Help me—help you—help him,” were the words that the dispatcher used that night. They are also the words God uses when He tells us that His power is made perfect in our weakness. We don’t have to know what to do! We don’t have to be strong! We only have to listen to Him and do what He tells us to do. He will actually use us to help save lives. Can you believe that? Will you allow yourself to be weak so He can be strong?

Do you want to know what happened to Jerry? Check here next week for Part 2! Or subscribe to this blog in the upper right corner and receive it as a weekly email.