10/17/13

This morning as I took a minute to lay back down to try to settle my stomach which was uneasy for some reason, God brought the words of Jermemiah 17:7 back to remembrance, "Blessed is the man that trusteh in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is." The NIV version says "But Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him." How blessed are they? Well verse 8(NIV) goes on to say "They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to produce fruit." When our trust is in God we don't have to be afraid when it get's "hot"; the heat won't phase us, nor will we be consumed with worry when it gets "dry" and in Christ we can still be fruitful in the midst of harsh conditions. God can still use us and work through us while we're yet going through, but we must TRUST. Now about that PET Scan yesterday. That was quite the experience and one that wouldn't mind never having again. After they injected me with the dye to make sure the images show up well, I had to sit for an hour. Before the commencement of the scan, the tech indicated 25mins but I'm wondering if that's just what they tell patients so they won't be thinking about how long they have to be in there because it felt like double that. During the actual scan, I made the mistake of opening my eyes and about halfway through, like better started sinking in the water, I started goin down...feeling closterphobic, mouth dry, shoulders hurting, trying to take deep breaths, I felt a panic coming on. So I started praying, and when it seemed like not even that was helping, I heard the technician say, "Ms. Johnson are you ok?" Isn't that just like God? When it seems like we're going down, sinking...sinking...sinking...He comes to our rescue. After I explained what was going on he allowed me to rest my arms in a different position, and gave me a warm sheet before continuing the scan. God got me through. After the scan was complete and I had gotten dressed I hear the tech say don't get too excited. Come to find out they ran into technical difficulties with the computer system, had to restart the computer and were missing all of the images from the second half of the scan! So they escorted me to a room to wait for them to get everything set up again, which took a minute-I'd say atleast 30+. Thankfully the second time around, God blessed me to sleep through most of the scan. A much more pleasant experience. Thank God for His Grace. He ALWAYS comes through, when we look to Him and we can trust that He will ALWAYS be there. I'm so thankful for how God has continued to be my Sustainer. I was encouraged even further at church as brothers and sisters in Christ shared words of encouragement and as me and another sister were surrounded by many who were at Wednesday night service last night as our pastor prayed over us with the saints touching and agreeing. I found myself trying to encourage those who were shedding tears for us, letting them know I'm alright, not worried and that God's got me. I can feel all of the prayers that are being prayed on my behalf and for that I'm grateful. For every word of encouragement(in person, txt or phone call, emails), every hug and smile; I'm so very thankful and appreciative. Even after choir rehearsal tonight-much love recieved. God is so good and through His people and other ways, I can see His hand at work even now. Our faith must have substance. We can't gain that if we never go through anything. Romans 12:12 says "Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer." That is what I will continue to do with God's help. Towards the end of our Experiencing God course over the summer, I shared with my class that there would come a point when God would test us regarding those things that He spoke to us and taught us during the course. I guess it's my turn but it's a privilege to with God's help lead by example. It's all for His glory. Tomorrow I go back in for the results of the second biopsy (swollen lymph node) and the PET scan. "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is." I trust Him. No other Help I know.