Peace in the Tube by Lisa Burkhardt Worley

“This is your panic button, but I warn you, if you push it there will be five minutes added onto the procedure.” Then the MRI Technologist rolled me into the tube and as soon as the scanning bed slid to a stop, panic set in. I do not like close spaces, so my heart began to race, and I wanted to escape. Don’t push the panic button, I thought. It will prolong this five more minutes.

So what should we do when panic tries to overcome us? We should pray.

I prayed my favorite go-to verse, Philippians 4:13 where Paul says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (NKJV). I also prayed Philippians 4:6-7: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” After I covered myself with these passages, my heart rate slowed down immediately. I was able to close my eyes and focus on the worship music playing through the headphones. I survived the twenty-two-minute MRI.

I think Jesus experienced panic in the Garden of Gethsemane prior to His arrest. He knew what was coming and asked His heavenly Father to take it away if possible. An angel appeared to strengthen Jesus, but He was in such a dire state that he sweat drops of blood, a condition called hematohidrosis. It is when the capillary blood vessels that feed the sweat glands rupture, causing them to exude blood, occurring under conditions of extreme physical or emotional stress. However, Jesus continued praying through it, and there is no indication in Luke 22 that He was still anxious once he completed His prayer.

In the worst of times—in the direst moment—God can strengthen us. Psalm 55:22 says, “Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you” (NLT). We must believe His promises.

For the curious ones, my MRI came out okay, nothing a few baby aspirin will not correct, but the scenario provided another great example of how God can give us peace in any difficult situation, even peace in the MRI tube.