Day 456 Who Prayed For You?

I feel strongly and write often that it is an honor to pray for someone.    Not just a quick blessing spoken in passing, but a strong heartfelt prayer that sends love and healing and affirms the best for the person being prayed for.    I often think about homeless people that I see on the street or criminals in the news and I wonder if anyone has ever prayed for them.   Has anyone ever loved them enough to take the time to go down on their knees to ask for healing or for protection or just for love for them?  If someone had, they might not be homeless or might not be committing crimes or might not be displaying a countenance of such anger and hatred that it affects everyone who passes them.

Prayer is powerful.   I know that I don't spend enough time in prayer.   When I do, it's amazingly fulfilling but often I find my time frittered away on less important things and then don't take the time I should to pray. Oh my gosh,  I am so glad I just wrote that!   Thank You Father.   That was a message to myself that I need to write More Prayer Time on my short list of goals that I keep by my computer and read periodically throughout the day.  Thank You again, Father.

Now, I know that your Mother probably has prayed for you and your Grandmother has prayed for you and your Father and Grandfather have both probably prayed for you and maybe a spouse, if you're lucky enough to have a praying one.   But did you know that Jesus prayed for you?  Well, he did.  I have read the following passage many times but when I read it yesterday, all of a sudden the words stood out in huge bright type to me.

"I pray also for all those who will believe in me through their(the apostle's) message."  John 16:20

I realized that if you are a believer, which I so happily and gratefully am, then Jesus prayed for you and He prayed for me.  His prayer was for anyone in the future who would come to believe in Him.  I am so grateful for all the prayers that were prayed for me during my illness and healing, and all the times my Mother prayed for me throughout my entire life, but none can compare to having Jesus include me in a prayer.   It sounds impossible yet that is exactly what He did when He prayed that prayer.   It makes me realize how very special and  blessed we are to be considered one of His own.

Precious Lord, Jehovah Rapha,
Thank You for Your Son and for the miracle of prayer, the communion that we can have with You any time of the day or night and at any place.  Thank You, Lord, for each prayer offered on our behalf.  Thank You most of all for the prayer of Jesus on the behalf of everyone of us who believes His word.  His prayer is a gift of love that transcends all.
Father, today we thank You for answered prayer.   Our friend Lisa is home and her immune system is coming back and soon she will be able to return to a normal life.  For her, normal is loving You and proclaiming Your mercy that You have brought her through and defeated the multiple myeloma that was trying to destroy her body.  We give You all the praise, honor and glory and thank You for every victory over the enemy, cancer. 
Thank You, Father, thank You.
In the precious name of Jesus Christ, Your Son and our Lord and Savior,
Amen

Day 455 Too Blessed to Complain

One of the writers of a daily devotional I read said that he recently saw these words on a bumper sticker.   "Too Blessed To Complain."   I realized that may not be how I sometimes feel but it is exactly how I am.   And when I am feeling not that blessed, God never fails to remind me that I am.

For the past week or more, I have been mourning the loss of my Golden, Chipper, and the end of an incredible fourteen year relationship of unconditional love.   Then yesterday, FedX rang my doorbell and it was a package from artist friends, Mikki Senkarik and Jack White.

 

An incredible painting of my boy.   You can just imagine how I felt when I opened the package.  Of course, I burst into tears all over again but this time with joy and gratitude.   It was God reminding me how blessed I am.   Not only are Mikki and Jack amazingly successful artists, but incredibly generous friends.  They mentor many artists and, as you can see, graciously share their talent.   In Psalms, it says that "God heals the brokenhearted and binds their wounds."   I am so grateful that He used my friends to help me with this healing. 

In addition to all their other accomplishments,  Mikki's paintings and Jack's paintings and the many books Jack has written, they are both cancer survivors.   Mikki beat cancer when she was a very young woman and shortly after I met them, Jack found out he had a cancer that had spread.   They have both won their fight against the enemy and are such good examples of how we should live after the storm.   I see daily how important it is for me to continue doing what I love to do, to have goals to work toward and, as I check off the ones I've accomplished, to look for new ones.   God gives me a purpose in my life and it may change from day to day, but as long as it is there, then I will continue to thrive and to be blessed.

If you have a pet you would love to have Mikki memorialize as she did Chipper, you can go to her website at www.senkarik.com.  In addition, you can watch the process of creating this painting soon at www.mikkisenkarik.wordpress.com . 

Precious Lord, Jehovah Rapha,
Thank You for the miracle that is friendship.   Thank You for the friendship of Mikki and Jack and for their continued healing as they share their talent and knowledge and help others in their journey.
Lord, we ask special blessings today for our young friends, Tony and Bryce.   They have both defied all odds but need more prayers.   Tony, who has endured so many rounds of chemo, needs his numbers up so that he can take a fun vacation as a strong and healthy 16 year old.   Five year old Bryce is not feeling well after his most recent chemo and is complaining of chest pains.   We ask Your healing mercy on both of these precious children so that they can continue to inspire others with the strength you have given them to defeat cancer.
Thank You Lord for loving us and for healing us and for protecting us.   We are so blessed and grateful to be Your children. 
We love You, Father.   We love You.
In the name of our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Amen

Day 453 A Lesson Learned

I have been offline for a while. 
Last week, when I got home from church, I noticed that my Chipper had hardly moved since I left a few hours earlier.   At fourteen, he was way past the life expectancy for a Golden Retriever and was having severe problems with his hips.  He was much too heavy for me to pick up but we had learned how to make things work.  Our daily routine had become one of his barking when he wanted to get up and my pushing his hips into position with my foot.  Then as he started to get up, I would slip my foot under his tummy and help him up to the point where he could go on his own. 

Chipper has been with me since I first fell in love with him as a six week old puppy.  In all that time, first as a real estate broker and then as an artist,  I worked primarily from home so he has been with me 24/7.   When we were in the old three story house in Richmond, we fought bats together for over a year.   He co-authored my real estate newsletter, The Chipper Gazette.   He took every step I took, even when it meant a struggle to get up to follow me from the bed to the couch to the studio to the computer to the kitchen.   He was there for me.

 

Then came last Sunday.   I managed to get him up once to go outside and eat and potty and that was it.  He didn't get up again.   I knew what was coming.   I spent the night next to him and the next morning managed to scoot him onto a quilt.   My son in law came and helped me get him into the car and to the vet.   They confirmed what I knew, that it was time to say goodbye to my friend, my other child that I loved so very much. 

 

It's been a week now.   I've cried too many tears.   I've been inconsolable.   My family took me to a concert Friday night and that was nice but as soon as I got home, I began to miss Chipper all over again.   For a week, I haven't studied the Word and I've hardly even spent any time in prayer.   I wasn't angry, I just didn't have the energy to do much other than to grieve my loss.   My heart was broken.   I just kept seeing him lying there so helpless looking to me to make things better and I couldn't and I just kept seeing him shaking in fear as he was wheeled into the vet's office as if he knew what was coming.   And I kept seeing him lying there after as I buried my face in his fur just searching for that last sweet sandy smell of him that I didn't want to let go of. 

 

Finally after realizing that I had to get past this, I began to put my focus elsewhere.   I started to make myself see how every time I let him out the back door that I would lean over and kiss his face and tell him how much I loved him.   I started to focus on all the times I would lay down next to him on the floor to just pull his old body up close and feel his warmth.  I started to focus on all the times, when he would look me in the eye, I would ask him if he had any idea how much I loved him.   Every time, I do that, the tears dry and a smile comes to my face.  He knew.

 

 

So, this morning it was time to leave the sadness behind.   My lesson learned?  It is that my life is determined by where I put my focus.   I probably knew that and could speak of it but not as clearly as now.  It is like a flipping a switch, going from sad to glad.  So sad that I only have his memory but so glad that I had him in my life for 14 years and so glad that he knew how much I loved him and still do.

 

And the Lord?    Well, He sent me two messages this morning.   The first was this in Isaiah.

 

"Therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you...."       Isaiah 30:18

 

He knew what I was going through and He was gracious in His patience and confident that I would make my way back.   Then somehow I went from Isaiah to Hebrews.

 

"Therefore strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.  Make level paths for your feet."

Hebrews 12:12

 

He was telling me that it is my responsibility to get back to normal.   No one is going to do it for me.  So, back I am.   Not totally back to normal, but well on my way to leaving the sadness behind and changing the focus to gratitude for 14 wonderful years where I was loved unconditionally, every day, here on earth.  

 

Precious Lord, Jehovah Rapha,

Thank You for waiting on me, allowing me to deal with that overwhelming sadness and for Your confidence that I would strengthen myself and straighten my path....the path that leads directly back to you. 

Father, there are so many suffering today as they fight the enemy, cancer.   I ask special healing blessings for our young friends, Tony and Bryce, as they travel through round after round of chemo and radiation.   Give them the strength to weather the blows that are dealt them in order to kill the cancer cells.   I ask also for strength for our friend Marti as she goes through another round of chemo in hospital.   She has been through so much and has never faltered in her love and honor for You.  Reward her, Lord, with a complete healing this time so that the cancer will be so completely destoryed that it will never return.

These things we pray in the name of our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen 



Day 443 Taking Direction

Did you know that there are over 30,000 verses in the Bible?   That's a lot of verses.  That's a lot of teaching.   Where to start?   What to learn?  Which is most important? 

As I come across verses that seem to speak to me, I write them down.  I write some on index cards and have them on my desk and on my night stand.  I sometimes have them in my purse and have taken them with me to art shows.  There are some jotted down on my calendar and on the side and back of my "to do" list.  I have some jotted on the corners of used envelopes and even in the margins of books I'm reading.    I have a small journal where I keep most of them and that book is getting fuller and fuller.  This morning I was reading through the ones in my journal and, trust me, that is like taking a fuel injected vitamin pack first thing in the morning.   It just seems to feed every single need I have, line after line after line.   After I read a few pages in my journal, I went to the Bible to begin study there.  Now, if there are in fact over 30,000 verses in the Bible and maybe forty or fifty in my journal and if, out of all those verses, I come across the same verse twice in a twenty minute time span, don't you think that the Lord is telling me that I need to do something with that verse, to use it somehow?   I do.  So, here it is.

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear My voice behind you saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'"   Isaiah 30:21

When I was my sickest during chemo, I found that verse and it brought me great comfort and I think God wants someone else to see it today knowing that it will bring that same comfort to them.   When we're at a crossroad, if we will just listen for His voice, we'll hear it.  We don't need to worry about which direction to take because His voice will automatically take us in the direction we're supposed to go. 

After my second chemo treatment last year, I knew that the oncologist that was treating me was not who I was supposed to be with.  I had felt a discomfort about him before but didn't realize that I could just fire him.  Then the prompting, God's voice, became stronger and stronger until I knew that He was leading me in a different direction.  If I had stayed with the first oncologist, I know now I would have never finished treatment.  When Dr. Popatia, my new oncologist said, "Thank God you came to me",  it was a confirmation that His voice had taken me where I was supposed to go. 

One of the greatest things about being a child of God is that our path is pretty much laid out for us.  And if we don't see it clearly enough, we simply have to ask His will be done and then just sit back for an amazing ride.   That ride might be a little bumpy at times and even a little scary at other times,  and sometimes it might be way more than a little scary, but knowing that He's right there behind us is still all the direction we need. 

Precious Lord, Jehovah Rapha,
Thank You for Your voice behind us, guiding and directing us so that we know that we're going in the direction you intended for us.  Give us the strength and fortitude today to recognize and avoid the detours that are intended to take us in the wrong direction as we listen for Your voice every step of our journey.
Lord, we thank You for the journey we are on.   Maybe not a journey we would have chosen for ourselves but we know that You have a purpose for it and we love You and trust You to use our journey for only good and we are grateful.
In Jesus' precious name.
Amen

Day 442 Inspired

No matter how many wonderful friends I have, no matter how great my family is, no matter that I have been healed of a horrible disease, no matter that I am a beloved child of the Most High....some mornings I just wake up in a deep blue funk.  No particular reason, it is just there hovering over my head.   Today was one of those mornings.  Then I finally got to the computer and in the process of my morning online routine, I got to Facebook.

I know... it's hard to imagine receiving inspiration through Facebook but there it was.   In the midst of all the silly jokes and sometimes snarky comments and banal postings and unbelievable fat and sugar laden recipes, there was just what I needed to read.   And if you know me you know who I give the credit for that to.  God just always seems to put in front of my face what I need right when I need it most.

First, there was a thank you from Wendy Jordan for all the birthday wishes and her gratitude to God for another birthday after having been healed of cancer twice.  Wendy's dream and mission is a foundation to benefit children with cancer and she is on her way to seeing that dream come true.  At the end of her post, she wrote"

"God didn't give me cancer.   He only redirected my journey."

Talk about taking lemons and making lemonade.  Wendy is doing it.   Then I came to a post from the CancerForward Foundation which is for cancer warriors and victors.  There was a link to a story from Karin Diamond that is so amazing.   I hope you'll take the time to click on this link and read it.  It is titled:  Cancer is not all I have.  It proves that we are not defined by this disease.

http://huff.to/1adDrfr

Lastly, but certainly not least, was a post shared by friend Lisa who has had her stem cell transplant and is in sort of quarantine waiting for her immune system to come back to full force.  It is from a lady named Marti whose journey started with a tiny melanoma and has turned into a huge fight for her life.  You can follow her at Marti's Melanoma Journey on Facebook.

Three women who have looked the devil in the face, have not been defeated and are still fighting.  Please stop for a few minutes today and join me in sending them prayers of strength and love and healing.

Father God, Jehovah Rapha,
We are praying this morning for three amazing women who are in a battle for their lives here on earth.  We thank You that Your healing Spirit is moving mightily within them right now as they face each day wondering when the enemy will appear again and what form it is going to take.  Guide the medical staff working with each one of them to the cure that will destroy every cancer cell in their body so completely that they can never return. 
Love them, bless them, heal them, comfort them, strengthen them.  Let this journey be one of total recovery and one from which they can proclaim Your goodness and Your grace.
These things we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, the name above cancer, the name above all names.
Amen

Day 440 Wish I'd Said That

When I was first diagnosed with cancer in April of 2012, I began to write this journal, in part to document my journey, but also as a platform from which I and anyone who reads it can stop and pray, become a part of a corporate prayer for others on a similar journey.   At my church's Wednesday night Bible Study, we always end with a corporate prayer for individuals needing help from God and the results are astounding. 

I've written often about the phrase at the end of Job when, after having lost everything and suffered unspeakable pain and sorrow, only "after he prayed for his friends" did God restore back to him everything he had lost and even twice as much as  had lost.   It is such a profound message of the importance of praying for others.

This morning when I opened my computer, the topic of today's devotional in the Daily Word was praying for others.   As I read through, I was moved by the beauty of the author's words and I want to share them here with you.

"In praying for others, I give them a personal and powerful gift - an expression of my faith in them, in the spirit of God within them, and in the enduring power of prayer."

Isn't that an amazing description of truth?   I wish I had said that.  The Bible speaks over and over of giving first and then receiving.   Most of the time, we think in terms of giving tithe, or talent, or time and the blessings that are received in return.   Now, as I think more about this, giving of our prayers for others not only blesses them but blesses us in return.   God said it in Job.   Only when Job had prayed for his friends did his blessings come. 

When I first started to write this journal, often readers would share names of friends and family who are fighting the enemy, cancer, asking us to pray for them.   I encourage you to continue that.  I, along with everyone who follows this journal, am honored and blessed in return to share the gift of praying for these brave warriors. 

Precious Lord, Jehovah Rapha,
Thank You for the privilege of praying for others.   Let these prayers carry Your healing word and healing power to each of them.  Let our prayers instill in everyone we pray for the miracle of Your spirit moving mightily within  them.   Bless, Lord, each one who stops today to pray for these warriors and let our prayers shore them up in the battle they are fighting against cancer. 
Father, we ask special healing for Wylie who is fighting stage 4 lung cancer.   We know the miracle you performed in Frank and we are believing for the same miracle for Wylie. 
We thank You this morning for the huge progress in healing made by our friends Lisa and Bryce and Tony.  Father, we give You all the praise, honor, and glory for each step forward they are able to take, no matter how small it might seem at the time. 
Thank You for loving us.  Thank You for being our God, our one true God who never leaves or forsakes us.
We pray these things in the name of Your son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Amen

Day 438 He Did It Again!

Yes, the Lord is up to His old tricks......again............hiding His hand in the guise of coincidence and I love it.   I wrote a week or so back about being in a crowded restaurant and God putting a precious lady at my table who had just defeated cancer and who loved the Lord as I do and what a wonderful mealtime we spent just sharing.

This time it was at Walmart of all places.  Friday, I stopped to pick up some dog and cat food and decided while I was there to pick up a few things for myself.  As I came around a corner into the produce section,  a lady was standing there like she was waiting for someone and when she saw me a huge smile of greeting came across her face.   I tried to remember if I knew her but realized quickly I had never seen her before.

She pushed her cart next to mine and picked up a clear plastic container out of it and held it up to show me.
"I don't know why but I just feel like I'm supposed to be touting this," she said.  "It's baby kale."   
If you have followed my journal, you know that I feel very strongly about eating antiangiogenesis foods every day.   They are foods that inhibit the growth of those specific blood vessels that feed cancer cells.  One of the foods that shows huge promise is kale but for the life of me, I just can't stand cooking or eating that tough curly stuff that looks like it should be decoration on a day old deli tray. 
"It's delicious," she went on to tell me.   "It's young and tender and cooks quickly and I even eat it raw in salads."
Then she took me down to where it was on display,  picked up a container out of the refrigerated case and handed to me and I thanked her and she went on her way.

Don't you just love it when God shows up and shows out?   He has repeatedly used strangers to impact me in so many different ways.  There is no doubt in my mind that He placed that woman there and that she was waiting just for me so that she could encourage my eating the right foods to continue to heal my body and to honor God.   She acted like she was waiting for me and her smile told me she was waiting for me  and that she was so pleased when I came around that corner.   She may not have been aware that she was waiting for me but God knew and I knew.   He is so amazing and I am grateful

So, my lunch today was a big salad.   It had baby kale(AA), carrots(AA), red peppers(AA), cilantro(AA), and the dark meat(AA) of a rotisserie chicken.  To find out more about antiangiogenesis foods, go to www.eattodefeatcancer.org .

Precious Lord, Jehovah Rapha,
You are so great and gracious as You guide us in how to eat and how to work and how to rest and how to live.  We acknowledge that our bodies are a redeemed territory and a gift from You and it is our responsibility to do whatever we can to care for them so that we stay strong and healthy in order to better serve You.
We praise You today Father for the good pathology report for young Tony showing no cancer cells in his appendix or the mass taken with the appendix.  Strengthen him as he is on another week long in hospital round of chemo.  We praise You today for strengthening our precious friend Lisa so that she has been able to leave the quarantine of the hospital.  She is still in a sort of quarantine in a sanitized apartment but we're so grateful that she is enlarging her territory as she improves.
You are such an awesome God and we love You so much and we give You all the praise, honor and glory for every new day that we have here on this amazing earth that You breathed into existence.
We pray these things in the beloved name of Jesus Christ, our blessed Healer.
Amen