And I know that you are praying for others in your life—in your family network and in your workplace—who also need God to do a miracle. You are, no doubt, praying for Him to work a miracle somewhere in your own life.
So I thought that I would share with you the framework, so to speak, in which I am praying. The gospel truths on which I depend as I pray.
The Living God knows. Everything that we are facing. Every dimension of everything we are facing. Everything we are thinking and feeling about what we are facing. He knows it all intimately.
The Living God hears. Everything we pray. The articulated prayers, and those we cannot articulate, that may only get expressed as “sighing” (of which the psalmist regularly speaks). He hears.
The Living God cares. About everything we are facing. About everything we are thinking and feeling. About our longings, about our fears, about our dreams and nightmares. He cares. Deeply. Non-judgmentally.
The Living God is able. To do something about everything we are facing. He is, after all, the Creator of the universe! He raised the Lord Jesus from the grave; He overcomes the greatest of all enemies. “Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV).
He is able, more than able, to do what no one else can do or dream of doing. If this were not so we would be wasting our breath in praying.
The Living God invites us to share with Him our heart’s desires. I often do not know whether what I am asking Him to do is what He wants to do. He tells us to not let that bother us. He invites us to simply express what we want Him to do—no holds barred. Just lay it out there. “This is my will, Lord. I do want Your will. But this is mine.” He knows what we are wanting anyway, so just lay it out before Him in all our uncalculated desiring.
The Living God then asks us to trust Him. To trust Him to be at work in what we are facing, trusting Him to be good and work for the good (Romans 8:28). For more is going on than what we see, hear, think, feel, understand.
Four days before Christmas in 2000, our then 18-year-old son Alex, whom we had adopted from Russia six years earlier, was hiking with a group of friends in the mountains and fell off a 120-foot cliff. He sustained broken bones all over his body, as well as injury to eight different parts of his brain. He went into a coma. On the night before Christmas Eve, as I drove home after spending the day with Alex in ICU, I was feeling all alone. I then heard in my head the following words, to which I have clung in other crises.
“Things are not as they seem.
In your life.
In your son’s life.
In the lives of other patients in ICU.
Things are not as they seem.
More is going on than meets the unaided senses.
There is a God.
A good God.
A faithful God.
A powerful God.
A reigning God.
An ever-present God.
There is never a time when this God is not good.
There is never a time when this God is not powerful.
There is never a time when the God of the Bible is not attentive.
There is never a time when this God is not on the throne.
There is never a time when the God who comes to us as Jesus is not present.
It is His promise: ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’”
Pour out your heart to Him, and trust Him to do what only He can do.
In Christ,
Darrell
Day 27 Evening—Day Is Done and Comic Relief
By Brenda Pue—January 27, 2014 8:57 p.m.
It is so good to crawl into bed tonight after a big day. Carson, Kristin and I headed to the cancer clinic first thing this morning. The first appointment for their day was my fourth radiation treatment.
It felt good to introduce another daughter to the radiation techs and to show her around the treatment area. The treatment itself is quick and painless, and the technicians are very nice. Our next appointment was with my radiation oncologist (loved it that Kris could meet him too). It was an opportunity to ask him lots more questions.
At the end of our time—this is the comic relief part—I informed him that the toll-free number on his business card was actually a number for an escort service and probably a little more. The look on his face was priceless! The funny thing is that he’s had these cards for years and no one else has ever mentioned this until today. I don’t know why I find this so funny…but I have always loved Gary Larson’s The Far Side kind of humour.
My CT-guided lung mass biopsy was scheduled for 1 p.m. I checked in at noon and got prepped for it. I was intrigued to learn that they would not use conscious sedation, as I had been told, because they needed me awake for this procedure. So I ended up watching the entire procedure, and it was fascinating. Now I am home, in bed, and glad to have this day behind me. Thanks for the many prayers that got us through this day. It’s so good to be home!
Day 28—Radiation Graduation
By Brenda Pue—January 28, 2014
Today was my final radiation treatment, so I guess it’s a graduation of sorts. My son Jason and friend Kelly accompanied me today, and we had a great day together. The hospital has a Starbucks inside, so after the treatment we sat and talked, long and deep, just the three of us. I loved that moment.
This day has been filled with so many blessings, and I find myself just wanting to “park” there for a while…
- I discovered that the flower urns on my front porch are now filled with colourful primulas instead of the dried Christmas decorations that were there yesterday
- my house got cleaned today
- an iPod filled with worship songs arrived today
- a couple of beautiful letters from long-time friends came in the mail
- the most amazing in-laws ever
- a CD filled with more worship songs
- my sweet husband, who is so “there” for me
- more treasures from God’s Word that are life-giving to me
- your prayers and encouragement, which keep my focus right where it needs to be
This all adds up to a wonderful Radiation Graduation day for me! I couldn’t be more grateful! I’ll give more of a medical/prayer update tomorrow—just really wanted to focus on and celebrate the goodness of this day!
Day 29—Medical Update and a Few Prayer Thoughts
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