Resting in God’s Care

On October 11, 2026, I wrote about Waiting Patiently when my husband, Matthew, lost his voice and was told that a virus had paralyzed his vocal chords.

This incident happened in September 2023. Mathew was frustrated and felt cut off from normal conversation. As a lecturer, pastor, and teacher, it was a great blow. But he resigned himself to wait until a year had passed, after which time the specialist had talked about injecting the vocal chords with some substance that might help restore speech.

In July 2024, Mathew underwent a heart valve transplant (TAVI) and almost bled to death when his femoral artery was accidentally nicked. Four medical staff fought to stop the bleeding, placing strong pressure on his lower abdomen. His blood pressure dropped drastically, and he said that he could feel himself drifting away—dying. The anesthetist quickly injected adrenalin, shouting to him to “come back!” He did so and received a blood transfusion. The following weeks were ones of misery for him as his internal organs and lower abdomen were so greatly bruised. But he was alive!

The other miracle was that his voice came back. To his surprise, when he called to a nurse for assistance a couple of days after the ordeal, he wasn’t whispering—his voice was strong and clear. The hospital staff were also surprised as they had become accustomed to his whisper.

Praise God for his kindness to us. As Psalm 23 says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (NRSVUE). Mathew has other health challenges at present, but he has the assurance that God is his Father and can rest in God’s care. We certainly don’t always understand why things happen to us the way they do, but we can choose to put our trust in a loving God.