Well, I'll Be!

The key learning I have received in the past couple of weeks is the power of prevailing prayer. The kind of prayer where we don't stop! Where we actually believe that what we say to God makes a difference! I have been keenly reminded that God IS moved by our prayers. God is relational -- and He hears our requests. He does not tune us out and pretend that our prayers are just 'blah, blah, blah...'  He listens to our prayers. He is moved by them. He answers our prayers. 

Sometimes it takes time. Often, our timeline does not line up with God's timeline, but that is not an indication that He is not listening or answering. It means that He does things HIS way in HIS timing because He actually and ultimately knows what is best. He desires the best for us!

Last time I wrote my blog, there was a heaviness -- an air of sadness as we stared death in the face on two different sides. Death doesn't always win! In fact, it is important to remember that death HAS been conquered! I Corinthians 15:55-57 tells us, "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."II Timothy 1:10, "but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."

Our family member whose heart stopped for about 10 minutes, is home and continuing to heal.  We are Princess Bride fans, so refer to the quote where Billy Crystal reports that the man is 'only mostly dead.' We prayed, we petitioned God, we pleaded for Him to intercede and heal, and He did! My aunt who was on life support and headed rapidly towards death is now sitting up and off the life support -- she is aware and recovering. We prayed, we petitioned God, we asked for His mercy, and He answered our prayers.  Do not underestimate the power of your prayers.

Life is Fragile - Live, Love, Laugh

Life. It's so fragile! So easy to take it for granted. We forget that life is terminal. NO ONE gets out of this alive!

Not sure if you are familiar with this song by Tim McGraw but it's a powerful reminder to "Live Like You're Dying:"




"I was in my early forties,
With a lot of life before me,
An' a moment came that stopped me on a dime.
I spent most of the next days,
Looking at the x-rays,
An' talking 'bout the options an' talkin’ ‘bout sweet time."
I asked him when it sank in,
That this might really be the real end?
How’s it hit you when you get that kind of news?
Man whatcha do?

An' he said: "I went sky diving,
I went rocky mountain climbing,
I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying.
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'."

He said "I was finally the husband,
That most the time I wasn’t.
An' I became a friend a friend would like to have.
And all of a sudden goin' fishin’,
Wasn’t such an imposition,
And I went three times that year I lost my Dad.
Well, I finally read the Good Book,
And I took a good long hard look,
At what I'd do if I could do it all again,
And then:

I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying.
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'."

Like tomorrow was a gift,
And you got eternity,
To think about what you’d do with it.
An' what did you do with it?
An' what can I do with it?
An' what would I do with it?

"Sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
And then I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
And I watched an eagle as it was flyin'.
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'."

-- by Tim McGraw; dedicated to the memory of his father, Tug McGraw.

In my small circle of influence, the past 24ish hours have included my adopted sister's father-in-law dying suddenly of a bowel obstruction, a family member almost dying at the age of 41when her heart stopped as she valiantly fights cancer, and my aunt going on life support with no expectation that she will make it. Life is so very fragile and unpredictable. No guarantees. I challenge you, I urge you, to view tomorrow as your gift -- now what will you do with it?

May you live well, love deeply and laugh richly.  'This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.' Psalms 118:24