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.”
This 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]
As 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
- For God’s leading in a choice of chemo hospital
- Praise for God’s grace and for feeling good today