Page 112 of Canyon of Deceit
“Favorites...” His voice trailed off.
UnderFavorites? “Jurg, stay with me. Who is he or she?”
“Vrach.”
I scrolled but how he’d pronounced the name contrasted with the spelling, confusing me. Alina left his side to peer at the screen. She pointed to a name, and I pressed in the number.
“I’m calling from a number at which a man has been shot and needs emergency treatment.”
“Where’s the wound?” a male said in perfect English.
“On the right side.”
“Bullet intact?”
“I guess. It didn’t exit.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
“Hurry. He’s barely conscious. I’m trying to stop the blood flow.”
The call dropped. Did the man have our location? “Fifteen minutes.”
“Will he die?” Alina’s voice rose above a whisper.
“I have no idea, but we can pray.”
“Go ahead. Is God a superhero? Will he save my uncle and rescue us?”
“He can do anything.”
“Then why are all these bad things happening?”
What could I say? All my life I’d prayed for healing—Kate, my parents, Blane, and other friends and loved ones stricken with illnesses and injuries. My prayers included enemies but never a man who’d planned to kill me and anyone else who got in his way. But God instructed believers to pray for all people, friendsandenemies. As much as I wanted to grab Alina and leave him to die, my faith stopped me cold.
I grasped Alina’s free hand, her other one grasping Jurg’s. I held the towel in place in an attempt to plug the hole and clot the blood.
If he lived, he’d kill me...
“Heavenly Father, Alina and I are asking You to save Jurg’s life. Touch him with Your healing power and restore his body. Stop the flow of blood and give him strength to fight the damage done to his side. Give the doctor wisdom and skill in treating him. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Alina sighed. “My uncle squeezed my fingers when you prayed.”
I kept our hands entwined. “We gave him a reason to hold on to life. God knows our hearts, and He hears us.”
Her eyes brightened. “He’ll live?”
“God hears and responds, but His answer is not always what we want. That would make Him a wish-maker.”
Alina’s shoulders fell. “Like in a fairy tale?”
“Exactly. He’s our Father and determines what’s best even in those times we don’t understand or agree.”
She lingered over Jurg. “Like Daddy telling me not to eat ice cream before dinner. My body needs the good things first.”
“Exactly.”
She tilted her head. “I don’t want my uncle to die like Daddy. Then I’ll be all alone.”
