After weeks of roller-coaster blood sugar readings with no good explanation of why it was happening, discouragement seeped into my soul, and I cried out to God, “Why, God, why is this happening to me!?”
“Praise Me,” was the gentle response I heard. “Praise Me, for all the times I’ve saved your life.”
After a moment of silence, I started thinking and reflecting on this, and after reviewing all the times God has saved my life from death, I sat in awe of God.
Praise God for Saving My Life Seven Different Times
- Praise God for my mother, who didn’t know what was wrong with me but decided to take me to a primary care doctor who diagnosed me with type 1 diabetes—if she had waited a few more days, I would have gone into Diabetic Ketoacidosis.
- Praise God for impressing my mom to check my bedroom after I went to sleep, as a teenager and newly diagnosed diabetic, preventing a diabetic coma.
- Praise God for friends who saw me on the sidewalk, with low blood sugar, while on a high school band trip in Canada—they called for help, and emergency personnel came to my rescue.
- Praise God for medical help in Honduras, after I passed out from low blood sugar, while on a high school mission trip—I ended up in the hospital, but was alive and very thankful.
- Praise God for protecting my life as a college freshman. After walking 18 holes of golf, I walked to my car, got in the driver’s seat, and went unconscious because of extreme hypoglycemia. Finally, after five hours, I opened my eyes. My clothes were soaked with sweat. I realized my blood sugar was low, but I stayed still. Although conscious, I couldn't move or react normally. Forty-five minutes later, I finally had the strength to open my door and walk into a nearby store to get some food. After this experience, I started thanking God for another day of life every morning.
- Praise God for my wife, Michelle, and for all the times she has been there at just the right moment to help. Most notably, the week before we got married, Michelle came over early in the morning to check on me after getting no answers to repeated phone calls; thankfully, she arrived at the perfect time, as I was having a hypoglycemic episode.
- Praise God for sending an angel to drive my car. Yes, an angel drove my car nearly 20 years after God saved my life as a college freshman. I went unconscious for 20 minutes while driving to work. My angel drove me safely through two stoplights, properly through two roundabouts, and kept my car safely in my lane on a very curvy road that I had never been on before! After this miracle, I realized that God must have something He wants me to do for Him.
Too often, I think we focus on what God isn’t doing instead of focusing on what God has done—and praising Him for this. Why not start our daily time with God by praising Him for the little and big things He has done for us and others?
In addition to the seven times God has saved my life, I praise God for the following:
- Insulin (Humalog and Lantus) that keeps me alive.
- Money to purchase diabetic supplies.
- Significantly improved insulin effectiveness thanks to exercise (lost 30 pounds, nearly 35% less Humalog insulin), extended water fasting (nearly 50% less Lantus insulin), and God’s blessings with these health changes.
- Doing two miracles in one anointing.
- Enhanced technology (Dexcom sensors) that provides blood sugar readings to my cell phone every five minutes.
- A patient and supportive wife through some hypoglycemic challenges.
- Teaching me to run to Jesus during roller-coaster blood sugar readings when there is no good explanation of why it’s happening.
- Persistence to keep exercising even when I don’t feel like it, and learning the blessings from doing digestion walks.
- Insulin effectiveness reached 100% after 21 days. During my second bout of COVID-19, I felt sick for five to seven days, but after 20 days, my insulin effectiveness was still not normal (it had ranged from 20% to 70% effective). Finally, I asked others to pray for me, and within 24 hours, God answered their prayers, and my insulin effectiveness returned to normal.
- The Sabbath Miracle.
“He alone is your God, the only one who is worthy of your praise, the one who has done these mighty miracles that you have seen with your own eyes.”
Deuteronomy 10:21 (NLT)
Call to Action
God is worthy of praise!
When discouragement tries to seep into your soul, do not let it. Instead, praise God for all that He’s done for you in the past. Look back on your life and see how much He has loved you and taken care of you.
Go to God with praise, and share what He has done for you with others to testify of His love.
“Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!”
Psalm 115:1 (ESV)
