Eddie & I were chatting this morning, & that chat prompted me to post these two verses and share a bit of my heart. The verses were always special to me, but have become much, much more so since Nov. 05 when my own oncologist quoted them to me on my first ever visit to him after my cancer surgery. In context, it was a very holy moment that marked forever my spiritual journey & my thinking about intensely difficult medical situations. Enjoy!
Mike
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10
But now thus says the Lord, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you, for I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 41:1-3a
(back to Mike)
Whatever comes our way, we can not only rest, but utterly revel in the presence & promises of our Lord. Would you rather be challenge-free without His presence in your life? Not me. Not Eddie. And, I 'spect, not you either. As followers of Christ, each of us has been called by name; we are His. He will be with us.
Note: God may or may not answer our prayers in the way we pray them. He may or may not "fix" what we're praying about in the way we want Him to "fix" it. But here is truth:
--He has called us by name!
--we are His!--He will be with us!
And one day, praise God, we will not have to wonder, nor wait on a prayer answer, nor worry about medical stuff, parenting stuff, job stuff, & all the other stuff. Until then, brothers & sisters, press on in complete confidence that our Lord is present with you and that He knows you. After all, what else could we really want? Or need?
And keep praying!
Mike
1 comment:
Eddie and Carol,
I am pleased to hear of your strong faith in the face of adversity and uncertainty. Because Traci and I have walked this path also, I have a since of what you are experiencing. We continually pray for both of you and the boys.
I am sure you are getting lots of "advice" but I do want to encourage you in one aspect. Many people will want to ministry to you and your family during this time - let them!
Maybe this will not be as hard for you as it was for me. People feel helpless in situations like this but have a great desire to do something - let them!
This allows them to join you in this spiritual journey, if only in a small way.
If you or Carol need to talk, we are always available! I look forward to hearing more of what God does through this experience in your life and church.
God be mightly with you!
Don Miller
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