Monthly Archives: November 2014

It’s foolproof.

Posted on by

PrayerThis morning I spent an hour praying with two other women who believe passion- ately in prayer. I brought them up to date on Mary’s cancer, and then we talked about the best way to pray over her, since that isn’t always obvious. But one of them knew exactly how to summarize our scattered thoughts. “No matter what the situation is,” she said, “there’s one prayer that can never fail. It’s, ‘Thy will be done.’ ”

That foolproof prayer always gets God’s “yes.”

I don’t think the Lord minds if we make suggestions: “please eliminate all cancer cells within Mary… please extend her life by many years… please don’t allow her to suffer in any way…” But in the end, our bottom-line should always be, “Whatever you decide, Lord, we’ll line up behind that.”

As we prayed, a Sunday school chorus popped into my head:

God can do anything, anything, anything; God can do anything but fail.

A foolproof prayer and a God who can’t fail? It’s win-win. If there are any problems after that, they’re within us.

But what happens when someone we love is handed a diagnosis like Mary’s, and we hate the thought that such a thing might be God’s will? An excellent request for ourselves concerning our own praying, then, is to ask God to bring our human wills in line with his divine will. That may look good on paper, but oh, what a mouthful.

If I’m going to pray such a prayer and mean it, God’s answer is probably going to involve some serious emotional pain. But the only other choice is to be standing outside of his will for Mary. Might that then miss what he’s doing in her life and mine, too?

Sara Young, author of the book Jesus Calling writes short prayers plucked from Scripture’s promises using words Jesus might use with us. This morning my two friends and I read this:

“Entrust your loved ones to Me; release them into My protective care. They are much safer with Me than in your clinging hands. When you release them to Me, you are free to cling to My hand.” (from Genesis 22)

Our disconnect with that truth, however, is that God’s protective care may look nothing like our protective prayer. Though I haven’t been clinging to Mary physically, I’m definitely clinging emotionally, wanting to hold her close… just like always.

ClingingI think God is gently teaching me that he is the only one both of us ought to be clinging to. So, as painful as it is to pray it, may his will be done.

O God, “Your unfailing love is better than life itself. I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely.” (Psalm 63:3,8)

Praising and Praying with Mary

  1. I’m thankful for another day of meaningful pursuits with church commitments and family fun.
  2. Thank you for continuing to pray for good sleep at night.

Still There

Posted on by

Mary’s original cancer diagnosis took place the day after Valentine’s Day, February 15, 2014. Almost immediately she and Bervin began testifying to God’s ongoing work within the situation and their awareness of his constant presence with them.

Ten days and lots of tests later, Mary, Bervin, and several of their adult children met with a team of doctors to get their recommendations. It was going to be a difficult meeting at best as a handful of highly-reputed doctors explained what was happening inside Mary’s body, along with what they felt should be done about it. Whatever was said in that room would shape the weeks and months ahead.

PeacefulAmazingly, Mary wasn’t at all nervous. That’s because she knew that literally thousands of people (including strangers) were praying for God’s peace to envelop her, confident he was hearing and would deliver.

When the meeting began, with each doctor taking a turn, a remarkable drama unfolded. As Mary told it, “I’ve always been on the praying end of a crisis, but this time I was the one being prayed for. The presence of God’s Spirit in that conference room was palpable. I saw it in the behavior of the doctors and in the faces of my children.”

She went on to say, “In my 70 years, I’ve never felt the strong, literal presence of the Lord that powerfully.”

Some people feel that since we can’t see the spirit world, we can’t be sure it exists, but Mary testified otherwise. During that meeting she became aware of God’s presence in the room. “He was moving among us, and it was very real as he worked to accomplish answers to those many requests.”

She said that as she listened to the doctors, she was completely enveloped in a bubble of peace. Because of the nature of the meeting, experiencing such tranquility was completely unnatural. Surely it was God’s supernatural gift.

Absence of stressThe Lord isn’t stingy with this kind of unusual peace. He offers it to anyone who wants it, in any set of circumstances. He says, “Ask me, and then trust me to deliver it.” We don’t even need a life-and-death crisis for him to wrap us in that same unlikely peace.

Today Mary is facing a new crisis even more severe than the first. But the same supernatural benefits she experienced 9 months ago are still available to her: God is still powerfully present, and he’s still willing to answer prayer requests for his mysterious supernatural peace, right in the middle of all the negatives. (See #2 below.)

Jesus said, “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit…. will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.” (John 14:26-27)

Praising and Praying with Mary

  1. I praise God for the good gifts he continues to give, like being able to cook dinner for our local adult kids tonight, which I love to do.
  2. Please pray that when I wake up during the night, negative thoughts about what’s ahead won’t keep me from getting back to sleep.

Mary’s Question

Posted on by

Last Saturday Mary and I shared an afternoon of meaningful conversation while sipping warm spiced tea on a blustery cold day. “Let’s sit in the sun,” she said, appreciating the extra warmth on the couch cushions.

Though Mary’s cancer and the threat it imposes is the #1 topic on everyone’s mind, it’s difficult to know how to best talk about it, or if we should bring it up at all. From her point of view, she doesn’t want to cause others to weep over the situation, and the rest of us don’t want to add to her burden by dwelling on it.

SistersBut on Saturday, the conversation of two sisters flowed in the usual way, and we found ourselves talking through some of the really tough stuff. Mary wondered what she ought to be doing during these days of feeling fine and having good energy. Though she’s made up her mind to live each day to the fullest, what does that look like, hour to hour, day to day?

As we chatted about her options, her conclusion was that she just wanted to do the “normal” things she’s always done: spend time with the Lord; care for her home, family, and friends; continue in her church ministries.

And that’s the thing about a life submitted to God. When time threatens to grow short, no additions, corrections, or changes need to be made. There’s no scrambling to get things right.  “Continuing as usual” is the high-road thing to do. Mary can simply keep doing what she’s been doing all along, and God will continue to bless her and also those she touches.

Oswald Chambers says, “A saint is never consciously a saint; a saint is consciously dependent on God.”

Mary doesn’t have to make big changes, because her M.O. has never been to get brownie points with the Lord by doing good deeds. She hasn’t been keeping score by consciously tallying up which “righteous acts” will please God most.

Instead she has spent decades studying the Bible to figure out what obedience looks like and then putting that into practice.  Whether she’s running a meeting from behind a podium or sitting on the ground comforting an ailing animal, it’s all the same to her. Obedience to God’s assignments releases his power into Mary’s life and also the lives of those around her.

The Holy Spirit living within a person becomes visible in the way that person spends her time. Mary has never worried about whether or not she’s being “used” by God but simply loves him with her whole heart, and day-to-day goes about loving others more than herself.

“Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17)

Praising and Praying with Mary

Tonight Bervin is both my praise (he’s a rock!) and my prayer request (that he wouldn’t be consumed with my cancer to the exclusion of other activities). I thank God for him and love his heart through these many months. Pray for strength to match whatever is ahead.