AND SO GOD SENT THE PLUMBER

                             AND SO GOD SENT THE PLUMBER

     As the day began, it wasn’t the best of days. In fact, it was one of the not-so-good days during my husband Steve’s chemotherapy regimen. He had gotten a fall cold with the possibility of it going into pneumonia, the oncologist said, so he was sent to the hospital for chest x-rays.
     Colds just seem so easy for chemo patients to experience when their immune systems are compromised, but allergies that develop into colds are pretty common in the spring and fall for Steve, anyway. The cold germ had made its way into my body, also, but I was trying to slough it off as best I could. We were both successful at trudging along, staying on top physically as well as emotionally.
     My most prized kitchen appliance, a hot water Insinkerator, had started leaking under the cabinet. That appliance had come in particularly handy during the chemotherapy because of the necessity of sterilizing all eating and drinking utensils. It was perfect for those tasks. It was still under warranty so it would be replaced free of charge.
     Steve called the plumber who had installed it. His name is Robert, and he’s a dear man we have trusted for several years to handle plumbing problems.
     Robert is dependable, prompt and efficient. In relation to the current problem, Robert told Steve to call the manufacturer and give them the information on the warranty and the prior purchase ticket, etc., and they would send a replacement. He mentioned that he would be at our house late in the evening to check on it. Easily taken care of, we thought.
     The call to the manufacturer was more involved than we anticipated because of the red tape which was required to get a replacement under the warranty, but Steve was able to do that chore on the telephone and fax machine.
     The day’s events had quickly grown into more trying activities than we had anticipated, but Steve was feeling up to the challenge, feeling good enough to handle the problem with the Insinkerator. He knew I was eager for it to be back into working order to make the tasks of sterilizing utensils easier for me. He took care of the task of dealing with the manufacturer easily; not speedily but easily. Task accomplished.
     At 4:30 our doorbell rang. When I went to the door it was Robert, the plumber. We had forgotten to call him and tell him that the manufacturer had not sent the Insinkerator yet. We both apologized to him for forgetting to call and let him know that the appliance would be shipped later, therefore saving him a trip to our house. He was gracious about it, letting us know that it wasn‘t a big deal. We discussed the fact that the appliance should last longer than the leaking one did, less than a year and a half.
     Robert left our house and started down the front walk, having gone down several steps. Suddenly Steve opened the door and said, “Just a minute, Robert. I have cancer. Will you remember to pray for me?”
     Suddenly Steve started crying, hearing himself say that he has cancer. Usually he only says that he is in chemotherapy, never claiming to have cancer. Starting to cry was certainly not Steve’s intention. He had not cried about the situation in the seven months since discovering the cancer, the two operations that ensured, and then the two cycles of chemotherapy.
     Immediately Robert turned around, bounded up the few steps, rushed up the walk to the front porch, grabbed Steve’s hand and started to pray for him. He asked God to heal and comfort Steve during illness. He prayed with anointed power, confidence, authority and love. After the prayer was over, Steve told his Christian brother Robert that he knew he was not going to die of cancer and thanked him.
     When Steve came inside the house, he was still crying, anointed with the power of God, still weeping tears of joy and awe that God had sent the plumber to pray for him. It was catching, I guess, because I started weeping uncontrollably, also. We sat in our recliners weak from the anointing of God, continuing to weep with gratitude that Our Loving Father had sent the plumber with His healing touch.
     Steve related to me that when the thought came to him, “Ask Robert to pray for you,” that he had refused to act on that command. Then it came again to his mind. He didn’t obey again. The third time it came, “Ask Robert to pray for you,” is when Steve opened the door and gave the request to Robert, who was God’s servant sent here to pray.
     Thank God Steve obeyed the prompting of the Holy Spirit. God knew that Robert would do what was needed, pray immediately for him.
     God sent Jesus to bring healing to the world. Jesus sent fishermen and a tax collector to take healing to people. He sent the plumber to deliver healing to Steve.
     Yes, God knows just who to send.