Sunday, March 17, 2013

The Lesson of the Red Sea...

Mark 10:27 But Jesus looked at them and said,"With men it is impossible,but not with God; for with God all things are possible."


Zec 4:6 So he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by  My Spirit,'Says the LORD of hosts.


A year ago the Lord gave me that first verse as an anchor, something to hold to, on the stormy days that He knew were ahead for me, for us, and cling to them I have! This last week as I was praying, He brought to mind the second verse above, a reminder if you will, that our future is safe in His hands... always has, and always will be, and for this- I am thankful.


This last week, as I was thinking over the last year... (Yes, it is now over a year since we entered the cancer battle.) I was pondering things, praying, and just meditating on the Lord, His word, and His promises, He brought to mind the miracle of the Red Sea. Now this is something most people in the modern world are familiar with, whether or not you've been to church... The 'Parting of the Red Sea," was made famous to the masses in Cecil B DeMille's movie "The Ten Commandments." 


This event took place when the Israelites had left Egypt, and they were at the edge of the Red Sea. Mind you, there was more than one way that they could have gone when they left Egypt, but they followed the path that the Lord directed them, and it led to the edge of the Red Sea, specifically so that the Hand of the Lord could be seen and the Egyptians would know that the God of Israel was, the God. (Exodus 15:4 Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD.” And they did so.) 


As they stood there, and heard the racket of the Egyptians chariots approaching, the people began to grow fearful... as many of us do when life is crashing down around us. What followed was recorded in verses 13-14 And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”  Then as we know, the Lord parted the Red Sea and the entire camp of the Israelites passed through on dry ground... Realize, this was not a small amount of people, it was a nation, a number that was easily over a million and could have been as high as two million. That is a lot of people to get across, nonetheless, God kept the Egyptians at bay until all the Israelites were safely to the other side. The Egyptians however, didn't get to cross, they entered the sea, got to see the miracle that was occurring, but as the enemy of God's chosen people, they were drowned when the Lord completed the work and closed the waters.

How does this apply to my life you might ask? Well, as I stated when I began this blog last September, we are on the path that the Lord has directed us, the challenges of the journey are very real and it is a walk of faith. Faith in the promises of the Lord, those from before this segment of our life's journey and promises on this current segment on the path. We believe that God states in His Word that healing is for all, it is through the same blood that gives us Salvation that we can also have healing... in Isaiah's prophetic reference to the Messiah, he stated... but He was wounded for our transgressions,He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 



In this battle the Lord has given us promises that He would heal Glenn, and He has spoken to others (both friends and strangers) that have shared with us, or even with our children visions and prophetic words that indicated the same. So as we hit this one year mark with the Doctor's reports beginning to go negative, we stand on the promises of God and remember the Lesson of the Red Sea... if you are on the path that God directed then He can and will preform the miracle that He has promised. I am thankful for the various times this last week that confirmation of these words has presented itself at multiple times and multiple ways. I WILL trust in the Lord my God!

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

A Moment - Day - Week - Month - Year

Psa 18:32 It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect.


It is from God that I get my strength, and it is He that directs our path. Without the Lord this last year would not have been possible.

It is through the strength of the Lord that we have made decisions, and though to some they seem obvious... until you walk it, you'll never know the struggle. My prayer, none of you ever has to walk this path. Through these blog entries you've had a glimpse into our lives this last year- a year that has been lived moment by moment, day by day, week by week... you get the picture.

It is almost dizzying to my comprehension that this all started basically a year ago, it was a year ago that Glenn had an ultra sound, that appt. was the beginning of what has been a long road. Yesterday, a year, a moment... at times it's still very surreal, in spite of living it day to day. 

During this year we have learned to become weak- so that the Lord may be strong for us. We have learned to really try to view each day for the miracle that it is. We are all so truly blessed in our lives that we take so much for granted... to quote a famous statement 'Stop and smell the roses,' do it, even if they make you sneeze, at least you have the breath within you to sneeze!

Live life! Don't just sit there and let the days pass one into the other, even on those challenging days, find something to be thankful for. Do something, press forward,  reach out, there is always someone that you can touch, something simple as a smile can make a big difference in someones life, and a hug... when you mean it, that's something that touches the soul.

Don't sweat the small stuff-- we've all heard that, and if anyone else is like me, the thought is; 'But what is the small stuff?' Well in many ways... it's all the small stuff! Yes, I know that there are major things going on, but remember in the grand scheme of things, it's small... because we have a Great Big God!! So, when you start to stress remember; LET GO AND LET GOD!

Don't become isolated in life, it's hard to live life when you allow yourself to become isolated. Personally this is probably the area I struggle in the most. Not because it's what I want, but it's just an easy thing to slip into. We have been blessed with so many family members and friends that I know care, they have let us know, through calls, texts, Facebook and when we see them, and that has been more helpful than I think I can ever explain.

Thank you to each of you who have stood with us this past year, and who continue with us in this journey. We know that as we continue to press forward and do what the Lord has called us to do, He will be faithful to His promises.

We are thankful that the Lord has sustained Glenn for the last year (especially considering the doctors were thinking more like a 3 month max) and that the healing is at hand. We serve an amazing God!! He sent His Son Jesus over 2000 years ago to be the sacrifice offering, not only for our Salvation but also for our Healing, the two do go hand in hand... Isaiah 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

Be Blessed!