Notice on a slight format change:

Except for July 2012, these are mostly a collection of current devotional notes.

July 2012 is a re-write of old quiet times. My second child was born Nov 11, 1987 with multiple birth defects. I've been re-reading my QT notes from that time in my life, and have included them here. They cover the time before the birth and the few years immediately after the birth. They are tagged "historical." I added new insights and labeled them: ((TODAY, dd mmm yy)).

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Historical QT 3 Sep 1989 / 9 Sep 1989, Sometimes, we mistake desire for fear


3 Sep 1989
Isa 12:1-2  (NIV) In that day you will say:
"I will praise you, O Lord.
Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away
and you have comforted me.
2 Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation."

NOTE: As long as we don't get what we truly desire, it will always be hard to say, "I trust you God, I am not afraid." It is battle every person has, there is no easy answer. I suppose perseverance is just that; living life without any easy answers. Lord I pray my faith in you (what little there is) has brought your name glory. I pray that the things we have learned could be useful in helping others in the midst of life's struggles. But most of all, I pray for the comfort of Isa 12:1 could be ours. Bring comfort and peace into our lives once again. Heal Luke. Lord, that is my greatest desire right now. This is the desire of my heart. I would gladly give up all my dreams for the future for the sake of my family. Please comfort us. Please, heal Luke -- only you can -- only you have the power -- nothing is outside your hands.

9 Sep 1989
Ps 10:14, 17 (NIV)
14 But you, O God, do see trouble and grief;
you consider it to take it in hand.
The victim commits himself to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.
. . .
17 You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,

NOTE: My suffering has not been long, at least not when compared to many who suffer their whole life. It's been almost two years now, a little more when one counts the first ultrasound. Yet the real hurt and pains did not hit home till Luke's birth. Luke will be 2 in a couple of months. He now has the hope of an almost normal life. No more trache changes, no more gagging and pneumonias -- all are within our grasp. Although it is not really our grasp, it is God's will. God is in control, he will allow or cause what is best for Luke and us. He is my Father, he will not give me a snake or a stone when I ask for a boy, a healthy boy. I must trust my Father, I must hope in his wisdom and goodness. I cannot express the tears of joy I have at the prospect of Luke's wellness. I hesitate to think of it, fearful that these thoughts will dash Luke's prospects, or probably that my hopes will ultimately be dashed by reality. I know I am undeserving of nothing good, but that's also the definition of God's grace -- giving me gifts that I don't deserve.

((TODAY, 25 Jul 2012: I believe the upcoming surgery was a reconstruction of Luke's airway and voice box using cartilage from his rib. The procedure held out the promise of removing the need for a trache for Luke. The trache was our biggest nightmare. Later we would find that it was also our biggest crutch … but that is another story. I was praying so hard (3 Sep 1989) because I so wanted the upcoming surgery to heal Luke. I so wanted the circumstances of my life to change. I wanted "my kingdom" and I assumed that it was also "God's kingdom." Once again, I will be crushed. Once again, I will be disappointed. I don't think the problem was a lack of faith so much as a fear of pain. And, there were still things that God needed to teach me.))

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