Josh and I had very little sleep last night. Starting at midnight the nurses were in every 2 hours taking blood, checking vitals or replacing IV bags. His fever was high all night and by about 4 am his blood pressure was dropping.
This of course worried the doctors which worried the dad. They gave him extra fluids which dropped his temperature and raised his blood pressure. So now we are hoping to get him some sleep.
My devotion this morning was titled "Wait Up". At first I thought seriously about skipping it because, waiting is not something I want to hear more about right now, and I especially don't want to "wait up" after being up most of the night. The passage was Psalms 27:14
Wait patiently for the Lord.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.
As I read the verse, I realized that I would like waiting much better if it was "Wait until Saturday" or "Wait until 5 o'clock". Even as kids we may have heard the line "wait until your father gets home", but at least we knew how long we had to wait.
But reading wait patiently for the Lord, Yes, wait patiently for the Lord doesn't give us a timeline. For us, the timeline is all about control. When we know how long we need to wait, we can figure out what to do until then. We can even justify our impatience if we have to wait longer than the prescribed time.
But to wait patiently for the Lord (repeated twice for emphasis) means that He is in control and we can't do anything to change the timeline. And the patiently part implies doing it without griping. This can be hard to swallow, but lets read what David wrote in the first part of Psalms 27.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
so why should I be afraid?
The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger,
so why should I tremble?
2 When evil people come to devour me,
when my enemies and foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.
3 Though a mighty army surrounds me,
my heart will not be afraid.
Even if I am attacked,
I will remain confident. 4 The one thing I ask of the Lord—
the thing I seek most—
is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
delighting in the Lord’s perfections
and meditating in his Temple.
What a great question, Why should I be afraid? What do I have to be afraid of if the Lord is my light (in a dark world) and my salvation (from whatever this world throws at me). If He is protecting me from danger, I don't need to tremble, I can remain confident.
The best part is He tells us what we are waiting for, the thing we should be seeking after most of all, that we could live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in His perfections.
I have often thought that David meant that he was eager to go to heaven, but in closer study, what David is saying is that he wants to dwell or live in the Temple, the place were people go to worship God and serve Him.
We don't often think about living at church, but if church was a place that was safe, where we could encounter God in a relevant way and offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, wouldn't we all want to live there?
Today we will wait on the Lord. We long to be back home with our church family, but most of all we know that we don't have anything to be afraid of because the Lord is our light and our salvation.
Read the rest of Psalms 27 today, it will encourage you. Thank you for your prayers and make sure you vote on your favorite hat.
We are praying for you Walton Family. We love you.
ReplyDeleteThe Simpson Family
We don't understand (and may never will) all the "whys" of your journey. However, I know you're reaching not only those in your immediate circle at the hospital, but also the readers over the Internet with your faith and courage. Thank you for "letting your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." We love you and are praying for each of you daily.
ReplyDeleteBrian, these are such great words from the Lord. Thank you for sharing them today. I know how difficult each day is for you and Ilene. You are in my heart and I wish I could be there to take some night duty!! Kristy
ReplyDeleteDear Walton Family, Thank you. Thank you for sharing your trial and your devotions with us. I have been reading it and praying for you this whole time. One of your early postings mentioned Psalm
ReplyDelete139. My favorite. When my daughter, Lianna, was in a bad car accident 8 years ago that was my tether to God. It kept me grounded in my fear and the waiting. I read that Psalm over and over and I don't think God minded but I changed the pronouns to 'she', or 'her'. I also left them alone where I felt it was speaking to me. When I returned home, with Lianna, who by the way, was back to school the following year with literally no residual effects from her accident, I remember the first time back in Sunday School. We were reading Psalm 139. I volunteered to read it and my class did not mind if I read it the way I had been reading it for the last 2 months while I was away with Lianna in MA.( she was in college up there at Gordon College at the time of the accident)
Somehow I made it through and there was nary a dry eye in the room. Psalm 27 was also read quite a bit. We waited while she awoke from her coma, we waited while vision returned to normal,we waited while the pressure in her brain was monitored, we waited while she rehabed, (which went extremely quickly) We waited and God was good. God is good and I am praying for miracles for your family through this trial.
In Him
Chris Sours
(Moose and Mildred's daughter in law)
I have been reading your blog and praying for all of you during this difficult journey. I know it is so hard to see your child go through this. JT did not have cancer, but he did not have an immune system as a baby and small child. We practically lived in the hospital for a while as well. I know what it is like to watch your child suffer and there is nothing you can do, but pray and hold onto the promises of God and your faith. Praying for peace and clarity as you have to make decisions and rely on God to lead and guide you. Thanks for sharing your struggles with us. Praying! Praying! Praying!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Melissa Ritchey
Good Morning!!! Just wanted to wish you a HAPPY Sunday and let you know that we are thinking about you this bright and sunny morning,
ReplyDelete