Some days it feels like our faith is measured by the ounce. Josh had a good day Wednesday. He went all day without a fever (after it spiked at around 6am) and ate well and felt good most of the day. He continues to be bold about his story. A number of the nurses have asked him about his journey and he tells them that it has been difficult, but that God has been faithful and he has seen God bless us even during the difficult times.
His temperature started creeping up again around 11 pm, and then by 4 am (yes we were awake again) it was 101. That was discouraging this morning (it feels like 2 steps forward 1 step back) but the good news was that his white blood counts went up and his platelets held steady since yesterday.
Every time Josh spikes a fever we face the disappointment knowing we will probably be in the hospital for another 2 days. As discouraging as that is, we are continually reminded that God is faithful. We are confident that He has already put a plan in place and ultimately that plan is to test and purify our faith so that He can receive praise and honor.
4For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.5And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see.6So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.7These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold -- and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
If you are like me, I want to grow stronger with out facing difficulty. And I want the grow to be measure by the ton, not the ounce. But that is like trying to lose weight without cutting back on the amount of food I eat. It is like expecting to get into better shape physically without exercising. Its like trying to learn how to swim with out ever getting into the water.
But the truth is, we only grow when we face difficulty. The Bible says that it is necessary for us to endure many trials. Not a few, not one every once in a while, but many. Now your many may be different than my many, but if I understand what Peter is saying, when we face the many trials, our faith will be strengthened. He goes so far as to say that we should be truly glad - because there is wonderful joy ahead.
We know that our faith has been tested, and we continue to see God's faithfulness. The challenges that we continue to face on a daily basis, show us that the things of this world are less important than the things that God values. And Peter tells us that our faith is far more precious that mere gold (which today is worth $1,743 an ounce). So as your faith is tested -- and as your faith grows, just remember that it has a greater value than gold.
Thanks, Brian and Joshua, for keeping us up on the news from the hospital in Dalhart. Keep trusting the Lord for His direction and for His healing. The Lord is able to do great things as you have already seen. Continue in the Word and prayer and sharing your faith with all whom you see. Your testimony will bring abundant fruit and will bring glory to the Lord.
ReplyDeleteAunt Marge was a bit strong and mor alert today as we visited her in the hospital in Philadelphia. She still has a long way to go but the doctor who came in was encouraging with his assessment of her condition. We do not know what the Lord has for Marge but we commit her into the Lord's hands to do His will. She is ready to meet the Lord when He calls her home.
A rainy day here in PA and more days of rain to come. Wish we could send some your way to deal with the dry spells that you have had.
Love Grandpa and Grandma Walton