Lying in a bed in the cold room of a hospital ER (emergency room) last month, I heard the doctor say, “You’ll need a pacemaker.” Unexpectedly hooked up to IV’s and instruments measuring vital signs, I waited in the ER for admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) room to prepare for surgery. With my wife at my side, we had some time to reflect on what was happening.
By that moment it was striking me how close I had come to having my heart stop completely. I went to our family doctor wit symptoms of shortness of breath and feeling faint. For a few days before that I noticed I couldn’t run up a flight of stairs or push a lawn mower more than 10 yards without sitting down to catch my breath. The nurse’s EKG machine showed my heart rate dipping below 30 beats per minute (bpm). Within minutes I was loaded in an ambulance and headed to the ER.
Between then and now I have learned many things about the heart I didn’t know before. My official diagnosis is AV block, 2nd degree (in case that means anything to you). 😊 My condition was explained to me sort of like this. The heart itself (as a muscle) is designed with chambers that have to work together to accomplish pumping the blood where and when it needs to go. Electrical signals provide communication to tell the parts when and what to do. There is a “node” that functions as command center in the heart for this communication. In my case, the node was deficient for some reason and needed help sending the right signals at the right time. This power failure slowed my entire heart rate to dangerously low levels. The normal rate is 60 bpm and above. By the time I sought medical help, my heart rate was dropping below 30 bpm.
The tests performed by the ER staff revealed the AV block and the prescribed treatment was a pacemaker. The next day I was successfully implanted with a pacemaker, discharged from the hospital a day later, and now once again back to a functional heart rate. This experience has also taught me much about pacemakers, and a number of spiritual applications abound.
Heart Sustains Life
Life is sustained by the blood flow in the body. “For the life of a creature is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11). Our body is a collection of cells that all have to work together to make our material body function properly. The blood carries nutrients and wastes to and from the cells as needed to accomplish the cells’ individual tasks. The heart is the organ that keeps the blood flowing for the coordinated transportations system to work. As such, the heart itself is a physical power source for the whole body.
A pacemaker is a “power source” to support the power source functions of the heart. When the power is deficient, the whole body suffers. Similar to the physical (material world) dynamics of heart function, there is a spiritual (immaterial world) reality going on in the human soul. The “heart” is the core of a person’s being. The human “heart” (soul of mankind) is broken because of sin that has entered our world and caused a broken heart condition for every person without exception. We need a Power Source to heal our broken hearts. I write about the healing process remedy in my book PACE to Peace: Finding Inner Rest in a World of Unrest.
Sin has severed the human spirit from its original connection to God. The only Way back to a power-driven relationship with God is through Jesus Christ. This is the Good News. Paul the Apostle says, “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile” (Romans 1:16; NLT). Christ’s redeeming grace is the power and peace for our souls. Demonstrating belief in what Christ Jesus did by dying on a cross and being resurrected back to the Father heals our broken heart’s condition (and paces us back to life).
Real Power
We need our soul functioning well to handle the storms of life. Life has its moments when our own human energy is not enough to power the needs and demands this broken world places on us. I am reminded of a Proverb which says, “The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear a crushed spirit?” (Proverbs 18:14; NLT). When things like our worth, meaning, and purpose are tested, we CAN have assurance and hope that transcends human effort. There’s nothing in this material world that can come close to matching God’s power.
Our REAL power source for life is our relationship with God. He provides the pulse. He provides the PACE. He pieces things together again. Allowing him to transform our heart makes the PACE what it should be to carry out the purposes he has for our life. I authored my book to help those hungry for more of God’s help. Please contact me if you’re desiring more and don’t know where to find it.
My symptoms were shortness of breath and feeling faint. They were gradually getting worse and in retrospect, I waited too long to do something about them. Our physical condition is sometimes mirrored by our mental and emotional condition. We sometimes ignore or minimize symptoms when God is trying to tell us something. We may feel stressed, anxious, or burdened, and still try to function in our own strength. God is the one who connects the parts and makes all things work together. Even if you know Jesus as your Savior, your quality of life on this earth depends on how much of your own willpower you surrender to God’s “well” power. Check out my book for an entire chapter that explains further what that means.
Don’t delay in drawing closer to God. The Bible says, “Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world” (James 4:8; NLT). Start with a small step. Put away that temptation (drinking, porn, and excess food, shopping, or scrolling electronic media, etc. ) and take that urge as a clue to lean into God. Instead of reaching for that empty thing this world has to offer, reach for the Way, Truth, and Life (John 10) through the Bible, godly friends, Bible-practicing church gatherings, and places that can point your soul to the truly fulfilling Power Source. As you continue to nourish your soul in the Truth, taking it step by step allowing your heart to be transformed, God becomes your Pacemaker.
In short, we all desperately need God as our Pacemaker. He is also our Peacemaker. Life is too short. not to admit this. Through him we can live at rest (peace) in our own soul. Through him we can live at peace with others. Romans 12:18 tells us, “Do all you can to live at peace with everyone.” With God as our Pacemaker, we can be the world’s pacemaker.
I’m glad for my pacemaker. Had I not sought help when I did, I may not have been around to write this article, and you wouldn’t be reading it. I believe it’s not an accident you are reading and God is speaking.
Thanks for reading, and always remember, God wants you to keep him in the center of your life’s pace!