Welcome to the Paul Tripp podcast, where pastor and best-selling author Dr. Paul David Tripp connects the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life.

Are you suffering? Are you near someone who's suffering? In today's episode, we'll listen to an interview Paul had with Vanitha Reisner, who recently released her brand

new memoir, Walking Through Fire.

In it, she tells her story of loss and redemption, which is rich in gospel comfort.

You can learn more at walking through firebook.com.

Here's Paul with Vanitha Reisner.

I would love for you, if you wouldn't mind, just starting off sharing a time when you felt desperate and God met you in your suffering.

You know, October 19 of 2014, I headed toward Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia. I was experienced what I thought were some minor symptoms and called my doctor.

He said, look, you're right next to a great hospital.

Just go there and we'll check you out.

Lle and I were quite relaxed about that.

We stopped at Starbucks on the way and watched football in the emergency room thinking, you know, nothing much was going on.

They invited me back into the examining room and within a few minutes there were heads of

five different departments of the hospital in my little room and they were talking about

putting me on dialysis and the doctor said you won't be going home

and I'm totally disoriented because I thought I'm feeling great I mean I have an exerciser

and they took me up into my room and immediately my body went into full body spasms.

It was the most disorienting, painful experience I've ever had in my life.

I literally screamed for 36 hours. And they couldn't give me anything for it because my body was in such distress. They thought the drugs would finish me off. My son was holding my legs down, trying to just keep me from hurting myself as I was riding there in the bed.

And I was crying saying, why don't they help me?

And he said, Dad, right now they're trying to preserve your life.

When they think you're stable, they'll give you some medication.

...