Nelson’s Journal, 8/29/22, Part 1

Nelson expresses confidence in God’s willingness to hear his prayers, and he knows He has the ability to answer them. So he spends much of this post calling out to him about his cancer.

>>>>>>>>>>

August 29, 2022

5:15 am, waiting in the kitchen for Ralph’s arrival at 6:15 am, to take me to my MRI scan at Mayo. The neck pain has been getting worse, and they’re trying to find out if it’s cancer in the spine. If it is, they’ll treat it with radiation to relieve the pain. Otherwise, it’s something else.

To me, the “something else” would be better. Maybe the side effect to one of the drugs they’re giving me or just sore joints from something else like arthritis. We pray like crazy and hope for the best.

To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd. You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. (Psalm 18:25-29)

~~~~~~~~~~

We see God how we are. The faithful see him faithful. Pure see him pure, shrewd (having or showing sharp powers of judgment) to the devious (showing a skillful use of underhanded tactics to achieve goals).

Lord, I pray for good news from this scan and that you would deliver me from the enemies who want me dead, who brought this cancer to put me in the grave. I can relate with David and pray like he did:

I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies. The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. (Psalm 18:3-6)

I call to you, Lord, and you hear me. Many others call to you and you hear them, too. Bill, Mom, Linni, and Bob call to you and you hear these righteous people calling to you for me. They cry to you for my salvation. They call so I might be saved from death.

I pray for Annso too, that you would continue to give her strength to keep going with this. She is like no one I’ve ever met who helps me day and night. She is like an angel tending to my every need. I can hardly believe how good you are to me through her.