The scent of fresh flowers and cleaning solution hit my nostrils as I opened the door to Samuel’s room. There seemed to be a new bouquet of ‘get well’ flowers delivered every day. His room was decked out with wall to wall floral arrangements, fruit baskets, cards, and balloons.
People sent emails, DMs, and letters to let the family know that El was in their prayers. The support was overwhelming and very much appreciated. Vivian decided not to release any information about his condition to the public, and I agreed. The shooter had not been apprehended, and Samuel was a private man. He wouldn’t want his business all out in the streets.
He’d made it through that first night that the doctors didn’t think he would and then he made it through the second night. He has been fighting and getting stronger every day. The doctors took him off the ventilator, and he was breathing on his own which was miraculous, according to the hospital staff.
Elisa and JD were both standing at the side of Samuel’s bed.
“Hi,” I said quietly as I hugged Elisa and then JD. “How are you both?”
“We are well, sugar. Thank you for asking. How are you?” Elisa asked.
“I could be a lot better but…” I looked down at Samuel.
“Yes, we’ve kept our petition before God concerning El,” Elisa consoled.
“Thank you. I just keep hoping that one day soon I will walk through that door and see him sitting up in the bed waiting on me.”
“I want that too. I miss my friend,” JD said.
“Please have a seat,” I motioned to the chairs in the room.
I checked on Samuel’s feet and hands before I sat down. I didn’t like it when his hands and feet were cold. I’d usually ask for a blanket from the warmer or I would ask for the thermostat in his room to be adjusted. He seemed fine at the moment.
I sat down in the chair next to Elisa.
“Elisa, is there something different that I need to ask God for when I pray? I’ve asked more than once for God to let the doctors see something different to explain this situation or let Samuel wake up, but nothing has happened.”
“Where is God in all of this, right? That is an age-old question that everyone tries to answer but we really can’t. We do know that God always hears us. He’s always present. Yahweh never leaves us nor does he forget about us but He doesn’t always answer. And even when He does answer, we don’t always like the answer. So, no there is nothing else that you should be asking for. God is sovereign. He moves when he wants to move and does what He wants to do. There is no magic formula or equation to get Him to do anything. We have to wait,” Elisa explained.
“I just feel so helpless. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with.”
“I know. So do I,” Elisa said.
“Do you know who Saul was in the Bible?” JD asked.
Am I really about to be quizzed on my bible knowledge while my boyfriend is laying in front of me in a coma?
“He was the King of Israel before David.”
“Right. He was. According to the Bible, Saul was tormented by an evil spirit. We could probably equate it to depression in modern times. One of Saul’s advisors told him about David’s musicianship, he played the lyre. Similar to a harp but the construction and performance are different. Saul sent for David, and he played the lyre when the tormenting spirit troubled Saul. When David played, the torment would stop, and Saul would feel better. That event describes the power of music. Music has the ability to minister to your subconscious and create change. Music can set an atmosphere and a mood. Think about it, you choose certain music depending on what you are trying to accomplish. You put on certain songs when you are about to clean the house. You choose music when you are planning a romantic evening.”
“Yeah, I listen to a lot of Tupac before I go into the courtroom. It fuels me.”
“Right, that’s one of the reasons why music is such an important part of our church services. I brought over this mp3 player. I know it’s old school. Everyone uses their phones now, but I loaded it with songs of healing to set an atmosphere of deliverance and facilitate the healing of Samuel’s body. The same way David played for Saul, we will play these songs for Samuel. Play it lightly in the background whenever you can but loud enough for Samuel to hear it.”
“Okay, I will.”
I’d never heard of anything like that, but I was willing to do whatever it took for Samuel to wake up and be healed.
“I don’t know what God’s plan is for this situation. My prayer is that my friend makes a full recovery. I can’t call it though. All I can do is petition God and wait. There is a scripture that says put God in remembrance of his Word. We are going to do that,” JD said.
“You said that you didn’t know God’s plan for this situation, but I don’t understand that. You talk to God. Doesn’t He tell you things?”
“God shares lots of things with me; when it’s my business. Some things are not my business. I trust God’s plan and his promises to me even though right now, I don’t understand. That’s what faith is.”
I nodded.
“I get it. I know we are not supposed to question God, but I don’t understand why this had to happen.”