Return From Heaven

My dear friends, 

In May 2006, my 6-year-old son David suffered the fatal Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever. David suffered beyond what any human can endure and he reached the point of death, but God powerfully intervened.  

The events surrounding David’s story are dramatic.  On June 8, 2006, 20 days after David crossed over to Heaven and then was brought back by the LORD to his mortal life, I made a synopsis of what took place and mentioned that there was more to the story that led to the miraculous revival of David.  

I burn with the desire to write the miracle story of David into a book, for it is a story needed by our generation, which has been thrown into confusion with claims against the divinity, the holiness, and the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah.   

David was about to be wrapped by the nurse-aid with a post-mortem blanket, but I stormed the charity pedia ICU where David laid white, frigid and lifeless and I stormed the gates of Heaven, fell prostrate on the ICU floor, and declared the power and might of God with violent prayers and impassioned cries of worship. I did not stop praying and worshipping with loud acclamations until I felt that I had saturated the heavenlies with prayers and God was about to bring David back to life.  As soon as I thanked the LORD for bringing David back to life, David came back to life – his first breath came with such force that his torso was lifted up as though a machine lifted it, but all that time he was being pumped by hand by a resident while the attending resident did “ambu-bagging” and another resident and two nurses assisted.  No machine was used to revive David.  That first breath came after at least 45 minutes from the time I stormed the ICU.  If there were no miracle, David would have been brain-dead if he were revived after 5 or 6 minutes. But David is fully alive, completely healthy, back to Ateneo, in Grade 1, and very energetic and gregarious again!  Dear friends, he did reach death, and he speaks about his experience of Heaven, angels, and the LORD Jesus Christ.  What David has now is a totally brand new life recreated through the resurrection power of the LORD Jesus Christ.    

On September 21, 2006, David will turn 7, a birthday he almost would not have had.  Please remember our dear little David in your prayers on that very special day.  David asked me just some weeks ago, “Why didn’t Jesus take me?”  I was touched by his question.  It was as though he was trying to tell me that he was already happy in the presence of the LORD and there was no need to have come back to earth. I hugged him tightly and answered him, “Because you still have a purpose to fulfill on earth, David.”  

Whatever that purpose is, I know that it is precious and significant in the plans of God.  

I also know that my firstborn son came back to life because I asked the LORD for his life.  I asked knowing that WITH GOD NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE.  HE is the Resurrection and the Life.  God answered a mother’s fervent prayer.  In life, I experience not being heard, not being minded, not being taken seriously. But the EVERLASTING GOD, HE HEARD ME.  HE listened to my cries.  HE did not turn HIS face away from me.  HE believed me when I uttered my praises of HIM.  I totally trusted HIM and HE moved according to my level of faith in HIM which is complete. I completely trust the LORD, and HE proved Himself to me worthy of my complete trust. I held on to all the truths written in the Holy Scriptures about GOD and called forth these truths about His NAME, and HE demonstrated that HE IS everything that HE ever said HE IS.   

I will never stop thanking God for giving David back.  Just to be able to love David still, converse with him, look at him, embrace him, laugh with him, play with him, do his Ateneo homework with him, carry him … such moments I cherish with unspeakable awe.  And having experienced nearly losing a child, I have learned to cherish even more every moment with my four other children. How blessed I am to have all my five children still with me, and I am still with them.  God is good.  

God proved Himself true to the name that we gave David, a name derived from God’s manifold Names.  David’s full first name is David Elyon Shammah, which means ”Beloved of the Most High Who Is Always There.”  GOD made good HIS powerful Name to David and our family.  And HE can do the same for you, my friends.  He is our loving God, whose power is above all powers in heaven and on earth, and HE wants you to know that HE is always there for you. 

Ruby