This is going to sound horrid, but I am so thankful that Dr. Kent Brantly got Ebola. Wait – scratch that. I’m really thankful that he got it and God allowed him to survive it. There, that sounds better. The bottom line is, very few people had ever heard of Brantly. But then he got sick. News hit America – like news here does – full of woe and drama and direness. We heard the news and got scared. If a doctor could get it, is it coming our way? How long do we have until the pandemic hits us? Should I ever get on a plane again? How are THEY going to stop it? Fear took over for many. I recall Donald Trump being interviewed saying that the authorities had no business bringing Brantly and Writebol into the US. His fear was apparent.
But then stop and look at what Brantly did. Even while he was gravely ill, he was sending out messages and living his life in a way that honored God. The first message he released came before he was in the US and when the world was certain he was a goner. The message was full of hope and faith. What? Usually when someone talks about God’s will, and God’s unfailing love the press runs the other direction at warp speed and/or finds a way to make the person look stupid. That didn’t happen this time. A medical doctor with Ebola was and is just too interesting a story. Especially when he gets better and no one can say for certain if it was the experimental medicine or prayer.
I just love it that the whole world has heard about Jesus through the faith and words and healing of Kent Brantly. I just love that he has made sure the world knows that the morning he began to get a little better was the morning when people across the planet began praying for him. He also gives credit to the experimental medicine by noting that the science came from our Creator. I love it that Brantly continues to get big time media attention (Matt Lauer…) and has the will and the ability to continue to witness to America and the world that our God reigns.
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