Daily Devotional - 8/21/10 (9/21/09)

I wrote this post 11 months ago on the day my husband went into surgery on his liver.  I have left it as it was and added a small commentary at the end about how he is doing now.


Focus Letter - U



Pray for:
Five things you are grateful for that begin with the focus letter
Five people whose first or last name begins with the focus letter
A place that begins with the focus letter
A characteristic that begins with the focus letter



Dear Lord- open my ears to hear, my eyes to see, and my heart to feel. Grant me the strength to obey.


Today is my husband's surgery. We would appreciate your prayers.



Psalms 21


9/21/09


"For the king trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken" (vs. 7)



How great are the victories the Lord gives. As we go into surgery today, I am remembering the greatness of the Lord. I will rejoice that I have His strength to support me and that I can have joy in His victories whatever they may be. God does not withhold the requests of my lips and He knows the desires of my heart. He gives life. I can do nothing to add or subtract from my life, save for eating and living healthy, which is important. But worrying will do nothing. Worrying will not add a moment to my life and will dissipate the energy that I need to be strong.


Regardless what happens today, I will cling to Gods eternal blessing and be glad in the Lord. He is not changing and He is here with me today. God's love is unfailing; the only thing that is secure and eternal. I will not be shaken today. I will be there for my husband, my in laws, and my children. I will be their strength because God is mine. God will lay hold of my enemies and crush them. God can crush the cancer and even if He chooses not to, I will still trust in Him.


God will be exalted. In my life, God will be exalted. Amen.



8/21/10

"O Lord, the king rejoices in Your strength.  How great is his joy in the victories You give!  You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips." (vs. 1-2)

My husband stopped his chemotherapy right before Christmas last year.  As of his first CAT scan, done in February, the doctors feel he is doing well and there is no obvious sign of cancer.  We are gratefully getting back to life, as normal as it can be, in the shadow of cancer.  God has been good and His victories are great.  He is giving us what we need each day and we have learned to be at peace in a deeper way through it all.  We are also grateful for all the support and prayers of our friends.  His next CAT scan will be in October so I will update you at that time about any further developments.



Prayer for the Day

Dear Lord,

You are great.  We are so grateful for the victories that You give and we are learning to wait on You.  Help us to do this more and more.  We praise You for the prayers that You answer with yes and also those that are no or wait.  We are just grateful to know You.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen


QFT


1. What enemies am I facing in my life today? How could the Lord conquer them?

2. When is it hardest for me to trust in God? Why?

3. What victories has God given me in the past? How has God blessed me?

4. How can God be exalted in my life, even in the difficult times? What can I do differently to ensure that this will happen?

5.  What blessings do I have in my life that I can cling to during the difficult times?  Why are these things so important to me and what would my life be like without them? How can I focus on them more and show my gratitude in a deeper way?