

One of the great ways to equip you for the incoming challenges that this new year and decade will bring is to learn about wonderful life-changing testimonies from people whom God has used to give you hope and strength, to fill you with courage and to bring you joy because of His goodness. An instance of this is a heart-warming testimony of Sis. Marylene of COG-Jabez. At first, she was hesitant to share her testimony as she is a reserved person, but with God’s prompt, she decided to share her testimony, not because of who she is, but because of who God is in her life.
Sis. Marylene was born from a Christian family where her family’s descendants were also Christians. Despite knowing God’s power in transforming and changing lives, there was a small part of her that was skeptical about healing since she always had a medical and scientific account for every (healing) case she witnessed as she is a registered nurse by profession and a member of the academe in the medical field. That was until God had put her to a trial through her first-born son, RJ to which can complement the Bible verse found in Zechariah 13:9 (NKJV):
“I will bring the one-third through the fire,
Will refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My name,
And I will answer them.
I will say, ‘This is My people’;
And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”
On December 16, 2011, RJ, who was 19 years old at that time, was rushed to the ER after palpitating, following his performance at school. He had a heart rate of 230 bpm when the normal adult heart rate is ranging from 60 bpm to 100 bpm. He underwent electrocardiography and his electrocardiogram (ECG) revealed abnormal tracing. He was then transferred from the ER to the ICU. Her son, who was very healthy since birth, was then diagnosed with PSVT (Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia- AV(atrioventricular) Reciprocating Tachycardia secondary to Concealed left Posteroseptal Accessory Pathway. She was perplexed. To think that was his first hospitalization and at the ICU at that.. “How can that be?”, she thought. Afterwards, her son was given proper medication and maintenance drugs. All was getting along well.
Based on her account, RJ had another heart palpitation episode on February 11, 2012 after he sang for his friend’s debut. Clad in formal attire, his friends rushed him to the ER of Naic Doctor’s Hospital and there he told them, “Gusto ko pa mabuhay.”
The most remarkable happened last July 22, 2012. Sis. Marylene was admitted in a hospital beacuse she had loss her appetite and suffered dehydration. The night of July 21, 2012 her son, RJ, slept in her room since their batch were leaving so early the following day to participate in a “run-for-a-cause” for the PWDs at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City. Around 8:30 in the morning of July 22, she received a call from RJ’s girlfriend. Crying, she told her, “Tita, si RJ po sobrang bilis na naman po ng tibok ng dibdib niya, nahihirapan pa po huminga. Namumutla siya at nahihilo.” She was very alarmed. She instructed her to bring her son to the Philippine Heart Center. Waiting for another call to update her about the status of her son took a long time so she called her son’s girlfriend. From there she was informed that RJ was brought at the ER of East Avenue Medical Center which is located just adjacent to the Philippine Heart Center; and that the emergency medicine to bring down the heart rate down and be in normal range was not available at the ER. So RJ’s friends scouted from the nearby drugstores to purchase the medicine but unfortunately the medicine is not available.
Sis. Marylene was shaken. She was helpless. She was not able to do anything, but to pray in her assigned hospital room. She was asking, “Lord, bakit nila dinala sa East Avenue Medical Center, hindi sa heart center? Dinaanan lang nila! Lord, walang gamot doon! Walang din siguro magagawa ang doctor.” She, as a medical professional, knew the implications of her son’s condition. She knew what was going to happen if her son’s condition continues and no medication will be given to him. She was breaking down in despair. Little did she know, at that point in time, her breakdown was God’s great breakthrough in her life.
Kneeling down, she wept and fervently prayed. She humbly told the Lord, “Lord, if my knowledge would hinder me from believing and trusting in You from doing a miracle then strip me off of this knowledge because I know that You are our Sovereign God! You are going to perform a miracle.” Her son continued to have a heart rate of more than 200 bpm for 45 minutes and she was told via call by her son’s girlfriend that RJ will be defibrillated. She unwaveringly hold on to her faith and said, “No! Wag ninyong ipa-defib si RJ! Wag ninyong ipa-defib ang anak ko because God is going to do a miracle. He’s going to do something. He’s going to do great and mighty things.” She cried out for mercy and asked God to supply every cell of her son’s body with oxygen despite that it was already almost 45 minutes that his heart rate was still 200+ bpm. She was trembling in her knees crying for God to bring home RJ alive. ”Hindi ko kayang mawala ang anak ko Panginoon, alam ko na alam Ninyo yan. RJ is the child you gave me who made me feel first the joy of becoming a mother, and I know you will not allow RJ to perish. You are not going to remove that joy in my heart. You are the God of mercy and you are going to give life once more to my son” these were the prayers she can never forget in her entire life. She remembered that at that time while kneeling down in prayer, she was truly desperate asking God to let her see even just a glimpse of God’s face and be able to hold His hands.
She truly knew that she was not experiencing any hallucination. She clearly felt God’s presence and saw Him reaching out His hand to her which made her say, “Lord, I want to reach your hand! Bumaba ka, Lord! Dalawin mo ang anak ko at bigyan Niyo ng oxygen ang buong katawan niya.”
Suddenly, at that instance, God delivered. Her son’s heartbeat gradually became 100/70 and then when his vital signs were already stabilize, he was transferred to the DLSUMC. In awe of God, Sis Marylene in tears praised and honored God for the miracle He has done to her son RJ. She learned then that for 45 minutes of HR more than 200, her son did not faint and his BP was maintained at 100/70 which in the usual ER scenario a patient with that heart rate can faint, become comatose and eventually irreversible brain damage can happen and worst death is declared after 15 minutes of no oxygen in the brain. But our God is a miracle-working God, who never runs out of mercy and a God who hears and answers our prayers and truly the author of our life. He delivered RJ from an eminent death. As Sis. Marylene had said, “scientifically speaking, it is impossible, but we have a God who made the impossible, possible.”
August of the same year, with wisdom and guidance from the Lord Jesus Christ, RJ undergone a successful cardiac procedure: Radiofrequency Ablation of the Accessory pathways. Highest Praise and Honor to our Almighty God for RJ’s heart is completely healed and renewed.
Right now, RJ is a registered Physical Therapist (PTRP) and he is currently studying in medical school to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor. He aspires to serve and save lives, and his heart desires to one day also testify the wondrous work of God in his life.
God is constant. People may change and seasons may pass, but He is the same yesterday, today, forever and always. The God who saved Noah, made Abraham the Father of All Nations, used David to defeat Goliath, gave Solomon wisdom and sacrificed His son for us is the same God who answers your prayers today. The God who performed a miracle in Sis. Marylene’s life is the very same God who will perform miracles in your life. Trust in Him. Keep your faith in Him. Sis. Marylene gave a parting bible verse to end her testimony,
John 15:7 New International Version (NIV)
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.