Nurses are God’s Ministering Angels
There are many forms of ministry that happen enfleshed on this earth. Being humans who are bound to space and time, dirt and flesh, we are so often unaware of the activity of the spiritual realm. I firmly believe that nurses are part of God’s tangible ministering army, sent to deliver his healing touch in ways far beyond physical medicine.
Another Dark Night of the Soul
When Mike went to the hospital by ambulance last week, I was in a very low place. I was terrified, frankly. Beside myself with fear, doubt, and distrust of God and everyone and everything else. I was not well emotionally or spiritually while I waited in the ER waiting room. Added to that low estate was the fact that, because he went in by ambulance, I was not able to see him for several hours because he was placed in a hallway cubicle to await an ER room. It was hard and lonely. I was the only person in the waiting room other than one {overly chatty} patient waiting nervously for their ride home. My mind was racing with worry about what might be happening back there with my person while I was helplessly waiting alone. All I could do was pray.
{I must interrupt myself for a moment—Isn’t it strange how those of us who profess to fiercely believe in the power of prayer and a God who moves mountains through our prayers say things like all I could do was pray? As if that’s such a small thing that it’s barely worth mentioning! We reveal our underlying weakness and self-reliance when we say such things. We think if we’re not doing something through our human wisdom and strength, we’re ineffably useless. How sad to have put ourselves on such a pedestal. But I digress . . .}
The Ministry of Nurses
I’ve shared before how much we’ve been impacted by the nurses at our hospital. Many are worth naming, and I’ve done that before in this journal. However, this time, I want to anonymously mention one nurse and how they have ministered to me deeply, without even realizing the impact they’re making. They’re just being their amazing selves, treating my family like their own, living their lives, and doing their job with passion and compassion as they do for every other patient they encounter because that’s who they are.
This nurse—we’ll call them Terry to keep it anonymously gender-neutral—was working the night shift in another hospital unit the night Mike went to the ER. They never work night shift. Weird, seemingly random (but not at all random) thing #1. They just happened to be looking at the patient board where all the current in-house patients are listed and saw Mike’s name. Weird, seemingly random (but not at all random) thing #2. They needed to leave their unit to go get a certain supply from the ER. Weird, seemingly random (but not at all random) thing #3. While they were in the ER, they went to check on Mike and just happened to show up right when Mike’s pain got very intense because the go-to ER pain meds don’t work on him. This nurse knows Mike well; they know what drug and dosage works well for him, so they were able to tell the attending physician on Mike’s behalf. Weird, seemingly random (but not at all random) thing #4.
Y’all! Are you keeping score? First, I was low. I was foolishly weakly doubting God’s loving care and goodness. I was angrily wearily wondering why God loved me less than others. I was alone lonely. Then God sent an angel in the form of a nurse who genuinely loves my person. Someone who could actually accomplish what I couldn’t because they had access and authority I didn’t. This nurse came out after ministering to Mike to check on me.
You see, that’s the thing with nurses. They don’t just treat the patient. Nurses treat the whole family. I don’t think hospital administration understands the vast reach their nurses have. An excellent nurse understands that their scope of ministry goes way beyond the person in the hospital bed. They are caring for caregivers, too. A stellar nurse realizes that the caregiver has just as many needs as the patient and works to make sure the caregiver is cared for. Nurse Terry gets this concept down to the roots.
Friends, when Terry came to check on me and tell me what they had done for Mike, the dam of emotions I had been {mostly unsuccessfully} holding back up to that point, broke wide open. God used that nurse to remind me, once again, that my El-Roi (“the God who sees”) is always watching and always working. God sees, hears, cares, and is active always. Even, and maybe especially, at 3 am in a freezing ER waiting room that feels like an actual meat locker in a small town in West Virginia.
Nurses Are a Tangible Taste of the Holy Spirit Here on Earth
I said above that Terry accomplished what I couldn’t because they had access and authority I didn’t. I can’t help but see the symbolism of the work of the Holy Spirit in this story. Indulge me while I go off on a brief theology lesson here. I promise it won’t take long. There are three Persons in the Trinity. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. All three are fully God and have the same power and authority. There is no hierarchy in the Trinity, but there are different works that each Person does. Why does this matter for this story?
One of the things the Holy Spirit does is to access the Father and intercede for his children on their behalf (Romans 8:26-27). There are times when we don’t know what to pray, don’t know how to pray, or are too physically, emotionally, or spiritually despondent to even speak a prayer. We often think that it’s in those moments that the Holy Spirit steps in like a second-string sports player subbed in and does what we can’t do. I see these verses differently these days. The Holy Spirit is the first string, not the second. God always knows what’s best for us. Even when we’re able to pray and actively praying, the Holy Spirit goes before the throne of God, taking our precious prayers and making them good for us, regardless of how imperfect they might be.
Do you see the symbolism? The Holy Spirit also just generally ministers to God’s children. One of the ways this happens is by sending angels to minister to us. Because they are created beings, angels are in no way equal to God. However, they are God’s ministering spirits, sent to serve his children (Hebrews 1:14). I have no idea how that all works. Some things are best left to mystery and there is much mystery within the spiritual realm. However, I am confident that on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, I encountered one of God’s ministering spirits through Nurse Terry’s night shift. They probably thought they were just having an ordinary work shift, but it was so much more than that. Thank you, “Terry.” You are a blessing beyond anything I could’ve asked or imagined.
