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This Is The Day That...

What a full day yesterday was...beginning with a trip to the voting place to cast our ballots in the local elections, then a workout at the gym, errands and time on the computer setting up bill payments for the next two weeks and taking care of a couple of fix-it jobs around the house.  Then a run to the airport to pick up one of our sons who was coming in.  Another one had come earlier in the day and helped me with a yard project.

I might have begun to think I was preparing to go on a vacation, except for one thing.  All day, interspersed within and around these activities, were continuous reminders that this was no ordinary "trip".  The phone rang incessantly with calls from friends and family letting me know they were thinking and praying for me, even whole groups of people were praying.  In the afternoon a friend of Sherril's showed up with a lasagna dinner.  Later, two couples from our Life Group arrived to pray with me.  A little later a friend dropped by with a special gift and a hug.

Besides all these, I'm sure that many of you reading this have been part of a continuous concert of prayer on my behalf.  For certain, my sense of peace and desire to make this an opportunity to reach out to others is a direct answer to those petitions.  That's not my nature.  I'm convinced that as God heard those prayer, so He also has heard your requests for recovery and healing.  My prayer is that you, also, may experience the same peace and sense of His presence in your life.

Yes, "this is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!" (Psalm 118:4)

The "Sightings" Continue

This is too good, not to share it with you... (But it won't make good sense unless you have read my Oct 26th post FIRST!)

The following is an email exchange Sunday evening between me and one of our close friends from church (I've changed names for the sake of privacy):

From: Jane

Sent: November 06, 2011

To: Hu

Subject: Jeremiah 29:11

Just had to share with you that Jimmy brought home a note card about what they will be studying in church for November and the Memory Verse for the "Big Kids" is none other than Jeremiah 29:11!!! God is definitely impressing this verse upon our hearts right now! Praise Him!

From: Hu:

To: Jane

I don't know what the Lord is up to, but it's exciting to be a part of it and to watch what He does!

From: Jane

To: Hu

I know; it brought me to tears. This is the second time He has spoken to me this way and I am most certainly listening. It is exciting and overwhelming, I can't put into words how it makes me feel. God sightings! What an amazing God we have the privilege of knowing and worshiping!

A Rickety Scaffold

In a recent email, someone kindly referred to me as a “tower of strength”.  I felt immediately encouraged, but before I could get to feeling too proud of myself, the Lord brought a vivid image to mind.

I suddenly pictured a common scene from a trip to China that Sherril and I made many years ago.  I was impressed with the number of high-rise buildings going up everywhere.   But I was also appalled at some of the construction methods, in particular, the rickety looking scaffolds made of bamboo and rope rising tens of stories above the ground level. 

   

How could this primitive scaffolding stand so high and support the crews working on them?  Two important things, I noticed, about these temporary structures.  They generally did not rise above the building, and they were secured to the permanent structure as it progressed upward.

I remembered a verse (Proverbs 18:10) that says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous runs into it and is safe.”  In the Hebrew culture a person’s name was considered to be synonymous with who he was.  I got the picture.  The real tower of strength is the Lord, whom we do not see, but if we, rickety as we may be, are securely anchored to Him and do not try to elevate ourselves above Him, His great strength becomes ours.  And what is it that anchors us?  Our faith, and even that is His gift (Ephesians 2:8).  No room for pride here!

A Step Closer

Today was a big day with the pre-op processing. (And I thought all of the tests were over...)  It began with an excellent orientation by one of the head nurses, including a tour of the hospital floor where my room will be and the recovery area, which is like an ICU for patients having thoracic and cardiac surgeries.  After surviving a couple of blood extractions, chest x-ray and EKG we were on our way again.  We continue to have admiration for the quality of care and personal touch that we have experienced.

We're set now to go into CMC Main at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday.  Surgery will probably not start until 3-4 hours later and typically takes up to 3 hours.

I continue to be sustained by God's grace in a way I never would have imagined.  On the other hand, it's hard for me to imagine how those who face similar uncertainties and trials can endure without the assurance that we, who know Jesus, have in Him. 

You already know how He has used Jeremiah 29:11 to play a role in this.  Well, I have another one for  you...  Yesterday, a family member came to the door with a small gift for us.  It was a beautifully framed version of that verse...with one small addition.  After it is says, "For I know the plans I have for you,"  they had inserted our names, "Hu and Sherril".  Now that makes it personal.  Try putting your name there also, and let it speak to your heart!

Keeping the Right Focus

Today, we met with the surgeon (a week earlier than originally scheduled because of his cancelled vacation) and set a date of next Wednesday, Nov. 9, for removal of the affected area in the right lung. The probable scenario is 3 or 4 days in the hospital if they are able to do the operation with a minimally invasive procedure called VATS, which uses a video assisted scope.  Otherwise, it could be twice as long or longer.

We felt the surgeon was knowledgeable, competent (has done 270 operations of this nature), personable and willing to take the necessary time to explain everything to our satisfaction.  He was very gracious about our request to have our PA son James on the speakerphone to participate in the consultation.  (Thank you, Lord!)

I’m glad to report that God’s grace is still keeping me in His peace.  Thanks to each of you for your continued prayers and words of encouragement.  Sometimes it’s hard to keep the focus on others when so much activity and discussion is going on concerning me.  That’s an important area where your prayers are helping to make a difference.

For example, Sherril and I had an opportunity to share with the surgeon how his being available today was an answer to prayer, and we promised to pray for him about an illness he is facing in his own family.  It turns out that this was the main reason for his decision to cancel the vacation.  Would you please remember to pray for him, too.

"Glad for Today"

That was the title of our devotional reading at the table today.  It's been amazing how the subject matter during the past several days has seemed to be speaking directly to and designed for me.  This one was based on Psalm 118:24, "This is the day the Lord has made, we will be glad and rejoice in it."  The gist of the message was that by focusing on our hardships and wishing for something better we may be wasting precious moments in life.

The reading went on to say that "during difficult times, we are tempted to become passive while waiting for a storm of life to pass.  But God invites us to actively pursue the opportunities at hand instead of lamenting over what we don't have."

The truth that I gleaned from the reading was that since the Lord has made the day we are in, we can look beyond our immediate circumstances to see the people and opportunities we have previously overlooked.  If we use the time to reach out to others, we'll discover His joy and gladness, even in the midst of the storm.

Great words!