Arms Wide Open

Arms Wide Open

It’s a cold and sterile room in which I lie.  Two nurses are busying themselves at my expense in preparing me for surgery.  One is shaving my upper body.  The other darts in and our while she finishes her job.

And then I’m left with the second nurse – Grace.  Carolyn is nearby too, though I can’t see her.  My blood pressure was high – 170/106 or so.  Grace wanted to sooth me. 

“Mr. Biggs, your blood pressure is a little high.  What are you worried about?  We’re going to take real good care of you.”  And she was off like a dash and back in a flash. 

She had inserted a port into one of my veins and began a medicine drip to help with the blood pressure. 

She kept reassuring me … “you are in good hands.  We’re going to take good care of you.”

At some point, she asked me what I did and I mentioned writing and singing.  She latched onto the ‘singing’ idea and said.

“Why don’t you sing me a song?”  Got the picture?  I’m moments away from surgery and my nurse wants me to sing to her?

She sang some simple praise and worship song I knew from twenty years ago and then asked again for me to sing something. 

The only song that stuck was the first song I ever remember singing as a small boy in my Dad’s church in Lewisburg, Tennessee.  And so, I sang.  My voice halted and faltered but I sang-lying there on a bed in Swedish Hospital.

The chimes of time ring out the news

Another day is through.

Someone slipped and fell,

Was that someone you?

You may have longed for added strength

Your courage to renew

Do not be disheartened,

For I bring good news to you.

It was not my finest moment as a soloist.  I was scared, I was nervous, and my voice was cracking and broken and I was softly sobbing as I sang.

I continued:

It is no secret what God can do,

What He’s done for others

He’ll do for you

With arms wide open

He’ll welcome you 
(a lyric change)

It is no secret what God can do

Grace said some appropriate words.  “Lovely, I like that. Thank you. You have a nice voice.”

And God was there. 

I changed the lyric to “He’ll welcome you” on purpose.  The original lyric said, “He’ll pardon you.”

I was already pardoned.  Now I wanted a welcome.  You see, my cardiologist said I had about a 70% chance.  In case the 30% kicked in I wanted to see those wide-open arms of my God. 

I’ve experienced them on numerous occasions in my life.  When confessing sin, when in need of an answered prayer and a thousand other times in my years of living.

And the great news – those arms are open right now for you my dear reader.  Whatever you face, those arms are opened wide to receive you, help you, comfort you and touch you in a most intimate way.

Climb up onto the great lap of God and let Him embrace you today.

P Michael Biggs

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