When I did not yet know the Lord, He was already there for me. Many year ago when I was still drinking a lot to forget all the misery I had, I was living a ungodly life and I was cursing a lot. My life was full of alcohol, immorality and lawlessness. I did things that normal people would consider repellent. I was living decadently on the streets and found every time a way to fulfil my needs until I sank completely and lived permanently on the streets. I was dressed shabby, I was unshaved and dirty and I slept under a bridge. During the day I was sitting in a park with older people only to roll a cigarette. If I was lucky I ate once a week and the rest was drinking.
One day I became really sick and for weeks and even months I woke up every night with stomach cramps. The pain was unbearable but I would not see a doctor because I was a cowboy and cowboys drink their pain away. I told myself that it would go away. This situation continued until I could sleep and eat for a while at the place of an old friend. I could not eat, but I slept a lot. My friend called a doctor. The doctor came to visit me, he said that I had a kind of gastroenteritis.
But a few days later I needed an urgent hospitalization. I was in a kind of coma for seven days. When I woke up my mother was sitting next to my bed. I had not seen here for years. In tears she told me that I had almost died, that I was very ill and that I had drunken so much that both my kidneys were blocked and that I was full of water and toxic substances. That same day I was cath and was told that haemodialysis had to be start up. I was told that this situation would continue a long time to keep me alive. I underwent two blood test every day, I was only allowed to drink a small amount, everything was measured. I got new clothes and I was enrolled in the public centre for social well-being. In that way I received weekly a welfare. They took good care of me and from to time visitors came.
I started gradually to feel more like a human being. I got every day more courage and most important there was no alcohol anymore. When I had dialysis I could eat and drink whatever I liked. I drank soft drinks of water and started to eat well.
One day the doctor came to me and told me that it was all right. My kidneys were working again, one 45 percent and the other 35 percent. I was told that the dialysis would be phased out. One month later I would leave the hospital. That was a whole other story, but once again a solution came up. The social service found me a furnished studio. Everything was arranged for me and the day came that I could go to my studio. The first day I was alone I went to the pub. I had saved quite some money during my eight-month stay in the hospital because of the weekly welfare. I started drinking again, I was healed after all. This continued until I woke up one night because of a bright clear light. The next day I looked for help and I did not drink again since that day. I took up a normal life and found a job. A while later I found a wife and we got two adorable kids. I thought everything was all right, but I was still living without the Lord in my heart. What a pity. End of the story.
When I was a Christian for some time I realized that the Lord has been with me all the time and that he sent his angles back then to surround and protect me. He healed me and gave everything back to me. I lived a good life, but there was a battle going on. Now I have got it, the Lord is always with me to help and protect me. I do not have to be afraid anymore, because He is with me. I am thankful that I found him and that I opened the door when He knocked on it.
Lord, I want to thank, praise en worship you. I thank you Lord that you were already with me in my darkest hour. I did not deserve it, but still you redeemed me form the darkness I was living in. Now I can see your glory. You deserve all the honour and all the glory. Lord, I ask You, be my king and coach on the way to the Father. Send Your Holy Spirit, fill me Lord and blow over me, cleanse me. Lord I want to follow only You and I am thankful that You saved me. You are the Way, the Truth and the Life!
Amen