Great Expectations

I have been praying so much for my friend Daniel over this past month...he has been experiencing muscle weakness, weight loss, difficulty breathing and swallowing and has been in the hospital a couple of times. He has been diagnosed with LEMS and has tried a couple of different things to help his condition. I have really been wrestling and struggling a lot with this. I know that God is sovereign and has a plan and purpose in all of this. But I have had a hard time believing it sometimes. How can this be good and what is best for him? Why wouldn't God choose to heal him? I was teaching Sunday school a couple of weeks ago and the theme of the lesson was "God wants the best for us"...as I sat down to prepare the lesson I was overwhelmed with emotions....how is Daniel's condition really what is best for him? I have been asking for more faith and more trust...I do not understand what God is doing and can only trust and have faith in Him, that is what gets me through each day and when I am feeling emotional.

My dad shared some verses with me and as I read them, they gave me strength and helped to increase my faith and trust...

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." Romans 5:1-6

"In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ" 1 Peter 1:6-7

I found this one as I was searching the Scriptures for some peace and comfort in the midst of my tears:

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away. Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him." James 1:2-12

The following was a key verse from my Sunday school lesson:

"'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

As I read this verse I kept thinking how could what Daniel has be a part of God's plan when it says that His plans are for welfare and not for calamity...how is LEMS not camality and how is it welfare? Then I have to remember that in God's eyes and in God's plan it is. In my humanness, I can't fathom how any of this is good. I know God has a plan and a purpose for all of this...so many wonderful things have come of this...I have drawn closer to God, clung to Him more than I ever have. I know others are being touched by this, also. I will not know all that will come as a result of this until eternity, but I must remember that God is good all the time and that He has Daniel in His loving arms.

God gives and takes away, but His name is blessed and worthy of praise. I am praying for and expecting miracles...I have to trust that His miracles are what is best. The miracle I am praying for is complete healing and restoration, that may or may not happen here on earth and I have to trust God to do His work. It isn't always easy and I have cried many tears over this. This is a journey God has me on and I am thankful for the work He is doing in me during this time.

If you would like to support Daniel in prayer, please see the following groups on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=115050268521825&ref=ts

and http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=126609167353986&ref=ts

Musings on The Book of John 1-3

My friend Carol Shlack posted a challenge on Facebook a while ago...read through the book of John and post verses and passages that stand out or speak to us. I decided to take on the challenge. While I was good at posting at first, life got busy and my postings fell to the wayside. So I decided to pick up my journal and write my thoughts and musings as I read through John.

I am about halfway through the book and decided to blog about all God has shown me...we will see how far I get in this post, with more to come!

John 1

John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we saw His glory"...I had never noticed the phrase "and we saw His glory" before. My church has a big focus on the glory of God...how cool it is that we can see His glory!

John 1:23 "He said, 'I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,'...this was just a cool verse that stood out to me!

John 1:27 "It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie."...wow!

John 1:31, 33 John the Baptist is speaking, "I did not recognize Him"...I wonder what he means by this. Had he not seen Jesus in a long time or what was it that caused John not to recognize Him?

John 1:36-37 "and he looked upon Jesus as He walked, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him speak and they followed Jesus." WOW! how powerful John's words were...they heard John speak and they followed Jesus...would I have done the same?

John 2

John 2:4 "And Jesus said to her, "woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come." Jesus is speaking to His mother when she told him the wedding had run out of wine. I find it interesting that Jesus says His hour has not yet come and then proceeds to do the miracle anyway. what made Him perform the miracle?

John 2:19-20 "Jesus answered and said to them, 'destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.' The Jews then said, 'it took forty six years to build this temple, and you will raise it up in three days?'" this must have totally puzzled the Jews!

John 3

John 3:14-21 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God." this passage is awesome! most of us are familiar with John 3:16, but the verses surrounding are powerful!

^{John 3:27-36 "}John answered and said, 'A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent ahead of Him.'He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice So this joy of mine has been made full. He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth He who comes from heaven is above all. What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

My prayer is similar to John's, that I would decrease and God would increase...He is above all!