The Goodness of God by Anna Howard Crash! Karen hurried to the window, and all of the children ran outside to see what could cause such a loud and scary sound. They soon found out where it came from: a barn had crashed down! Some men from a nearby field, who were putting hay onto a trailer, came to see what had happened. They went to see if anyone was under the fallen barn. As they got closer, they soon recognized that John Kelvin was under the timbers, gasping for breath, "God, please take care of my family. I don't think I'll see them again." Hurriedly, the men pulled him out of the fallen barn and rushed him to a nearby hospital. While John was in the emergency room, he prayed, "God, if it is your will for me to live, please help me." One of the men was sent to get the elder, Brother Daniel. When Brother Daniel got to John, John asked, "Brother Daniel, please pray for me. Help take care of my family, if I don't make it." "Sure, I will pray for you," Brother Daniel said quietly. Later, his family came in to see how he was doing. Karen, John's wife, was surprised to see him with so many tubes hooked up to him. He said to them, "Please pray for me. Please." "Yes, we'll pray for you," his wife said. We have been praying ever since the barn fell. And if it is God's will for you to live, you will live. Knowing Jesus is the important thing." He smiled and said in a weak voice, "Thank you for praying for me.".... ....About 2:00 in the morning, the telephone rang in the Kelvin home. An anxious voice was speaking. It was Dr. Bryan. "Hello, is this Karen Kelvin?" "Yes, this is she." "Well, I have to say, John might not make it." Karen almost lost her grip on the phone. "Go on." "We are not sure," Dr. Bryan replied, "He just wanted us to call you to say 'pray for him'." "Thank you for calling me! Tell him that we will pray for him!" Then with a click of the phone, she went back and knelt by the bed to pray to God about John. The next morning, about 6:00, the doctor called again and said, "Praise God! John made it through the night. God really was protecting him. When we told him that he would be able to go home tomorrow, all he said was, 'Praise God! It was his will to heal me.' He just broke down crying. So I just wanted to say that John will be all right. But when he gets home, make sure he gets plenty of rest. He looks real well, now." With a good-bye the doctor hung up. Karen called all the children in and said quietly, reflecting on the past few days, "God is good and merciful. Dad will be home tomorrow." With joyous shouts, the children all jumped up and down exclaiming, "Our dad will be home tomorrow!" The next day, about 9:30 in the morning, Karen and the children all excitedly climbed into the van to pick up Dad. They had to be there at 10:00 AM. When they got there, they went into the waiting room of the hospital to wait for Dad. While Mom was signing papers and getting Dad's things, they had to wait 30 long minutes. When they saw him wheeled out, there were great shouts of joy. On the way home from the hospital, everyone was talking and crying at the same time. After awhile, when everyone was quieted down, John said, "The goodness of God leads us to repent. I had to examine my heart while I was in the hospital bed. I must admit that I found myself taking for granted my walk with Him. I want to be serious in my relationship with God and my family. I thank him for saving me from that old fallen barn. The brothers and sisters at church must have been praying for me while I was in the hospital." Karen said, "Oh, we were praying that you would live. People from church and the neighborhood were calling on the phone to see how you were doing. Some would say that they were praying for you." As they were going home, John was watching the trees sway in the wind and listening to the birds singing. He said to himself, "I am glad God let me come home to see His wonderful creation!" Anna Howard YWSH Main Page