ICE STORM

I remember the Arkansas Ice Storm of 2000.  It was an epic, catastrophic event that shut down our area for weeks.  I’m sure everyone who lived through it has very vivid memories.  My memories of it have to do with the miracle that God performed, as the world was crashing down around me.

My five-year old son had spent the day, outside with my husband, preparing for the winter weather.  It was already cold, and we had a little snow on the ground, rare for Arkansas.  As evening came, so did the ice.  As it built up upon the trees, our electricity went out and then the battle for life began.  It was dark and it began to sound like a war zone!  The trees were literally crashing down around us.  Thankfully none were close enough to land on our house but it sounded awful.  The ice continued to fall.

My son suddenly developed a very high fever and began to struggle to breathe.  I tried everything I knew to help him.  We had water in the tub, so I tried to bring it down by dabbing him with a wet rag.  His fever went as high as 105.7 and he was gasping.  The Tylenol and ibuprofen didn’t help, and he became delirious. Of course, I was in constant prayer for him but at this point I became desperate.  If not for the ice storm I would have taken him to the emergency room or called for an ambulance!  But I couldn’t because the world basically stopped, and we were stuck where we sheltered just like everyone else.  I got on my knees and prayed in the spirit for my son.  I cried out to the Lord in desperate pleas for Him to save my son.  The Lord impressed upon me to take my son to my bed and join hands with his father to pray.  We both laid hands on our boy and held hands to bring the circle of love round about his gasping body.

The miracle of the Shekinah Glory filled the air above our room. That is all I can figure because there was no electricity, no power other than the Mighty Power of God in that space.  There was only the power of the Love that we have for our son and the Faith we have in Jesus Christ.  In desperation, we cried out to the only One who could save him, and God delivered a miracle in the midst of chaos.  My little boy’s breathing became less labored, and he was no longer gasping for air.  His fever started to come down and he was finally able to rest quietly.  My husband slept and I lay there in awe of the Glory of God.  Experiencing that miracle solidified my Faith and I knew God was more Real than I had ever known.  I knew what He had done for me years ago when He saved me but this as a different thing.  This was a miracle and it happened because we Believed!  We had no choice other than to Believe and put all our Faith in the Lord.  There was no back-up plan at that point, no option to go to a doctor and put our faith in medicine.  It makes me think of our pioneer ancestors who had nothing but Faith in God to make it through the difficulties they had.

The next day was bright and shining; the ice-covered trees glistened and made the world seem magical.  But we were still trapped, as the ice-covered trees completely covered our dead-end road in rural Arkansas.  Most people didn’t get electricity for several weeks but after a few days my husband was able to hack a path through the trees so I could take my son to the doctor to see what caused him to have so much trouble breathing.   Breathing in the cold air of the day before had dried out all of his mucous membranes and that is what caused him to gasp for air and develop such a high fever.  His little body was struggling to survive without all of the moisture it needed, and the fever just made it worse. 

It truly is a miracle he survived and what I witnessed that night will forever be ingrained in my memory, and it is part of the Foundation of Faith that has brought me through many difficult nights, surviving my own breathless battles.  All Glory to God and I Praise His name forever.