The Word Guild

©Linda Wegner

BEFORE THEY CALL

When I heard the unmistakable sound of our back door being opened, I turned to check the time. It was 2:30am. More stunned than afraid I rolled over in bed and that’s when I heard Grace’s voice: “Are you okay, Mom?”

By now I was up and standing beside our son, Len, and his wife. Again they posed the question: “Are you okay?”

After assuring them that all was well I asked why they thought otherwise. “We just got a phone call from a lady who sounded as if she was very sick. She asked if Len [a registered nurse] could take her to the hospital. We thought it must be you.”

Their concern was legitimate – they’ve taken me to hospital on a number of occasions but this time I had no medical problem. Unfortunately somewhere, someone else did.

We tried to think of who might be calling and then decided the next course of action was to check the telephone’s call display. “A blocked call,” Len told me a few minutes later. “Can you think of anyone else?” After another few minutes of deliberation and prayer together for the one needing help, we gave up and went back to bed.

Legitimate or otherwise, the call took place. Not only that, our willingness to help was real. Over the past few days since it happened I’ve thought about it a lot: Was this a prank call? Was it a wrong number…but if so, why did she ask for a specific person? What was the significance, if any, of the blocked phone number? The questions are many but we’ll probably never know the answers. (The writer in me has come up with several scenarios worthy of a novel, a first for this technical writer.)

In our distress God says: “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” (Isaiah 65:24)

Many times I’ve wondered how much of an influence the sentences and paragraphs I string together have had on my readers. Somehow it seems, at least to me, that those who write “Christian” pieces have an easier time of touching lives than I do. After all, how are hearts pointed to Christ by my account of the latest news in a struggling economy?

I don’t know the answer to that but I do know two things for sure: I pray for my readers and God answers prayer. I’ll leave the rest of the puzzle to Him.