Category Archives: Submitting to God

Rest Well

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Thank you, faithful blog readers, for the hundreds of prayers you’ve breathed out on Mary’s behalf. This sister of mine once said she felt guilty asking for prayer, as if it was somehow selfish to occupy people’s time that way. But she was forgetting how many hundreds of prayers she’s breathed out on behalf of others, and the resulting joy in doing it.

Last night when we talked about what requests she wanted to list at the end of the blog, she said, “I don’t have very many.” What she probably meant was, “I don’t have any pressing needs right now.”

Time to restThis is very possibly God’s summary-answer to many of the prayers prayed over Mary in recent weeks. Maybe he’s saying, “Ok, then. It’s time to rest. Don’t look back on your radical surgery of 6 weeks ago. I’m putting the finishing touches on your healing from that. And don’t look forward, either. The as-yet-unknown reality of chemo- therapy is a challenge for another day, not today. Leave that where it belongs, in the future. For now, just rest.”

While growing up at Moody Church, my sister, brother, and I used to sing this song:

Jesus I am resting, resting,

In the joy of what Thou art.

I am finding out the greatness

Of Thy loving heart.

[Jean S. Pigott, 1876]

Comfy place to restAs Mary wonders what to pray for, may that mental question-mark be her call to take a deep breath and sink into a comfortable chair to rest, while she ponders the “greatness of God’s loving heart.” And in that same hymn, there’s much more to think about:

 

Ever lift Thy face upon me

As I work and wait for Thee,

Resting ‘neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,

Earth’s dark shadows flee.

The entire song, with its many verses, is really a prayer, as if the singer is trying to convince herself God approves of her resting. He has given her this quiet time of feeling good just to “be” in his presence, wrapped in his loving-kindness. And because Mary is a visual person, the last stanza gives her something to “look at” in her mind’s eye while resting:

Brightness of my Father’s glory,

Sunshine of my Father’s face,

Keep me ever trusting, resting,

Fill me with Thy grace.

After Mary’s chemo begins, her prayer request list may grow long, and we prayer warriors will be ready. But for now, we can all pray she’ll focus on resting well in the open-wide everlasting arms of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 33:27) May these peaceful days nourish her heart, soul, mind, and body.

“Come to Me…. and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Mary’s Prayer Requests and Praises

  1. For God’s leading in a choice of chemo hospital
  2. Praise for God’s grace and for feeling good today

A Journey, Good and Bad

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MapToday Mary and Bervin traveled back to Minnesota for several important appointments at the Mayo Clinic, a journey that came with good news and bad news. The good news will be when Mary’s doctor tells her his Whipple surgery is healing perfectly, right on schedule. The bad news will come as they meet Mary’s oncologist, a “chemo man.” He’ll detail Mary’s “phase 2” treatment plan for the next few months and may even want to kick-start it this week.

Mary is resigned to the necessity of chemotherapy but of course is dreading it. We’ve all heard too many war stories not to feel that way along with her. After tomorrow’s meeting she’ll know more of the details, but tonight she feels like she’s stepping onto a long, winding road.  Despite not knowing what pitfalls lie ahead, however, she has committed to go the distance.

Airdate: Sunday, November 12 (9-11 p.m. ET)Today as I thought about Mary beginning this extended journey, God brought another journeyman to mind: Abraham of the Bible. In that different day and time, his experience had several things in common with Mary’s. For one thing, he was told to set out without being given the specifics of his route or what was going to happen to him along the way, just like Mary. He knew some of it would be painful and surely wondered how bad it might get.

Even more significant than Abraham’s journey, though, was that of Jesus. From the moment of his birth, he began journeying toward the cross. Though he was God incarnate, as fully-man he probably didn’t know exactly what the route would look like or what his specific setbacks would be. And surely he must have experienced dread.

Palm Sunday's paradeEven as he made his way from the hills outside Jerusalem into the city on what we now call Palm Sunday, he knew that the devotees waving branches and singing allegiance to him would turn on him just a few days hence. Yet he didn’t step back from his journey. One pace after another, he saw it through.

All of that sounds like bad news, but there is some really good news for those on a God-prescribed journey. We can look at both Jesus and Abraham and see how Father-God was present and proactive in their lives along the way, partnering with them as they moved forward. And when they needed support and blessing, he delivered (with the unique exception of Jesus on the cross).

The present, proactive God will be there for Mary, too, as her faithful Sustainer, holding her firmly throughout her chemotherapy journey and rescuing her from pitfalls. And just like Abraham and Jesus, he will bring her out the other side.

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry. Do not be silent at my tears; for I am a…. sojourner like all my fathers.” (Psalm 39:12)

Mary’s Prayer Requests

  1. For good reports on Monday
  2. For God’s peace between now and the meeting with the oncologist
  3. Praise that the pain of the feeding tube has all but subsided
  4. Praise for a morning back at Moody Church!

Flashlight or Floodlight?

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Mary is a natural cheerleader. She encourages others in their pursuits and celebrates their successes with them. I remember how much her cheering meant to me when I began blogging years ago. Despite my uncertainty of both the process and my ability, she urged me forward and became a faithful reader.

Tonight, based on last night’s blog about her future uncertainties, I’m posting her favorite of the 1374 posts on this site. She often quotes from this one, because the principle cited is a guiding light straight from Scripture. It was written on 9/3/09:

JackWhen our dog Jack and I take our late night walk through the neighborhood, tree-lined streets can be inky black. I always grab a flashlight, because without it, we’d walk into parked cars and yard fences trying to find our way.

Most of our flashlights are the dollar store variety. Their circle of light is small and often inadequate, although a little light is better than none. Then there’s the heavy flashlight with the powerful halogen bulb. When I carry that one, I feel guilty for producing a swath of light that spills into the privacy of people’s living rooms. It’s a floodlight in a tube.

Last night when Jack and I walked, my cheap flashlight was flickering with weak batteries, casting only a faint yellow glow in front of us. This was irritating since my light would only shine as far as the next spot my foot would land on and no further.

Scripture gives us a word picture of this exact situation. “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105) When walking along life’s path, I crave a peek down the road, into my future, preferring a floodlight to a flashlight or a lamp.

But God is the only one who can see all the way down the road. Because of that, it seems sensible to leave the darkness and uncertainty of what’s ahead, up to him. He’ll light it up when we need to see it. Meanwhile, he hands us the lamp of his Word. He says, “One step is enough for now. Walk into that circle of light in front of you, and let me worry about what’s ahead in the dark.”

Digital StillCameraLast night Jack offered the perfect example of why we ought to take God’s advice on this. He stepped in front of my flashlight’s beam, which suddenly cast his own black shadow directly in front of him. He startled, jumped to the side and searched for the dark villain he’d just seen, but the shadow had disappeared. The walk goes better if he stays behind the light and follows where it leads.

And I guess that’s good advice for the rest of us, too.

“Even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.” (Psalm 139:12)

Mary’s Prayer Requests

  1. To patiently follow God’s light into an unseen future
  2. To gain weight; praise for the first taste of meat since March 16!
  3. Praise for a good day with visits from two prayer partners