Crash and Burn

Crash and Burn

As I remember it was a cold Sunday morning in late January. Since I was no longer pastoring a church, there was no need to hurry to get there. Judy and I were scheduled to leave later in the day for a pastor and wives retreat sponsored by a friend of mine. We were looking forward to getting out of the house and spending some time with other pastor couples.

As I walked into the bathroom something out of the blue struck me, not physically but in my gut. I fell to my knees and struggled to breathe. I crawled over to the toilet feeling like I was going to vomit. My head was spinning, my body started to convulse and the dry heaves came. I knew it wasn’t the flu. Judy came running and calling out to me wondering what happened.

After about an hour of hugging the porcelain, I crawled back into bed and curled up into a ball. I heard myself moaning and feeling like I was having an out of body experience. Judy laid hands on me and started praying. I felt like I was going to die. I fell asleep only to wake up a short time later feeling worse.

Not knowing what else to do, Judy called our son Tim asking him to come over to our house because something terrible was happening to Dad. Setting a land speed record, Tim came and started praying for me. Immediately the intense pressure lifted from me. I could hardly move or speak but whatever it was lifted.

Later that afternoon I called the pastor who was hosting the retreat and told him that we would not be coming. I told him what had happened to me that morning. To my surprise he shared a similar experience he had some years before. He was at the airport ready to board a flight overseas when the attack came. He couldn't get on the plane, cancelled the trip and had someone come and take him home.

It took almost a week for me to recover from that experience. Some say it was a panic attack. Others told me I had a demonic attack. All I know is that I didn't want to ever experience it again. The Psalmist in the Bible says it right: “if you hold on to me for dear life, says God, I'll get you out of any trouble. I'll give you the best care if you'll only get to know and trust me. Call me and I'll answer…I'll rescue you.” Amen!