Do you believe the Psalmist when he wrote, “Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it”? Psalm 139 took on new meaning after a recent medical emergency.

After a twenty-mile bicycle ride a couple of Saturdays ago, my husband joined me in pruning some diseased boxwood. That night he said, “I must have pulled a muscle. My leg hurts.”

The next day, Larry’s leg experienced more swelling and pain. From the top of his leg to the sole of his foot, his left leg was double the size of his other leg. The skin stretched so tightly it no longer felt like skin. His foot was too big for a shoe. His regular doctor sent him to an imaging center to have his leg scanned. The scan didn’t show anything. So, his doctor referred him to a vein surgeon.

This surgeon took one look at him and jumped into high gear. She sent him for another scan which showed a large blood clot.

“Do you know how lucky you are?” she repeatedly said and scheduled him for surgery. The first opening was in two days. By now he’d been in this condition for a week and a half. She was afraid he would need to spend the night in ICU and have the procedure repeated the next day if they couldn’t get it all in one surgery.

Encouragement Wrapped in a Rainbow

God encouraged us along the way. The male nurse who wheeled him into surgery told him he’d attended Bible college and was doing this until God opened another ministry. He told Larry if he had to have this type of procedure, he’d want this doctor to do it. Having a fellow believer offer that reassurance showed Larry that God was with him. Larry told the man he is having a ministry where he is.

After the surgery, the doctor found me in the waiting area and showed me pictures of what she removed. I gasped at the photo of an 18” blood clot cluster.

Larry went from having a Michelin Man leg to a twiggy leg. We are so thankful they could get it in one procedure.

A CT scan showed some small remaining clots that should dissolve. Now for the miracle. The scan showed Larry has no IVC which the surgeon also discovered while trying to clean the vein.

“IVC stands for Inferior Vena Cava, which is the large vein that carries deoxygenated blood from the lower half of the body back to the heart. It plays a crucial role in the circulatory system by transporting blood to the right atrium of the heart.”

A Birth Defect—God’s Psalm 139 Miracle

In other words, a birth defect saved Larry’s life. Instead of a main vein that carries blood to the lungs and heart, Larry has a network of small veins and fine capillaries that replace the work of this main vein. With no big vein, the clot couldn’t move into his lungs.

Seventy-five years ago, when God knit Larry together in his mother’s womb, He saw the day an IVC would cause more harm than good. He gave Larry a birth defect to save his life.

That evening as we sat in Larry’s hospital room, my son spotted a rainbow outside his window. I jumped to look. A full rainbow started outside Larry’s window and crossed the parking lot.

“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed” (Psalm 139:13-16 NLT).

Larry never knew he had this birth defect. Now we’ll never read Psalm 139 without remembering God’s marvelous workmanship.

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Blessings,

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