In Trust

Our church family has been praying for Nick, the young married son of one of our church family members since March 2011. He was diagnosed with cancer that began with a tumor in his back. The original biopsy confirmed that he had a large cell adenocarcinoma of the lung. As the months went on, it was learned that the cancer had effected much of his body and the fight became harder and the protocol of chemo and radiation more intense. His parents have been gallant and strong on every front, and a true witness to those watching of their walking in faith, standing on God's steady ground of promises, and holding tight to a undying trust in God's sovereignty. Nick and his wife Andi, early on in this battle, did have good days and even weekends but now here we are less than a year later and the battle is raging and his body is weakened from the disease, the drugs, the stress and the continued fight.

A dear friend who is the update information gatherer for prayer asked at one time for us to "pray for his spirit, pray for divine intervention, for the Lord to bring someone or something to lift his spirits and give him Hope. He needs to feel the Love of God in his innermost being and have peace." He had had a tough few weeks, this was in July. She had been praying:

Ephesians 3:16-21 for him: "14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

That prayer was answered and Nick was strengthen, able to sleep and eat and just feel better. He was even well enough to be in a wedding in late July. And that time his mom wrote: "The Lord has filled me with His strength and peace. It is a day to day process, I cannot look too far into the future, it is too overwhelming. I have to rest in the Lord, He has put me in a place where there is no other answer. He is faithful." The roller coaster continued and still does today but so does the trust, no matter how light or dark the situation is. The reports of the cancer spreading from gland to gland and brain have been faced on every front, and the cancer has been attacked by either radiation of chemo with good success, but again the body is weakened. Even this month Nick was hospitalized and is still being treated for the pneumonia, the embolus is being closely monitored and the cancer is progressing. The family continues to stand faithfully firm in hope and on God's truths. They trust God fervently in spite of the battled and fatigued position that they through their precious son have been positioned in.

I have watched and prayed from an outsider sideline and continue to be amazed at the strength, faith and trust that this family has shown in the mist of such grave adversity. God has kept them resilient, though I know that many times they have been exhausted from this emotional roller coaster, and constant care. I tell you this story as an example of what true trust in the Lord looks like. It is hanging in there because there is no where else to go and no one greater to turn to.

I know that many of you reading this, if you have made it this far through the story, have your own positioned sadness or frustration or unanswered prayers. And know you too wonder where God is in all of this and why he hasn't given clearer answers, or quickened results. We all have battles that we are called to fight, some more intense and more draining than others, but we too have to stand on trust that God does know what he is doing. His answers range from being an immediate response to sometimes taking a lifetime, but only he decides what his timing will be and for what reason. As we wait, God will give us, if we truly seek it, the grace, the courage and the strength to hang on and muddle through. And though we cannot see the immediate effects, he is working behind the scenes to fortify our faith and strengthen our trust through the adversities that he has placed or allowed before us. None of us have answers as to the why's or why nots, but it is in faith that we keep putting one foot in front of the other and are able to take the next step of the journey that is before us.

None of us are exempt from our own battles and we too lift up fervent prayer requests and as I prayed this morning, TRUST was the underlined topic that Jesus put on my heart.

T - Take your requests to my throne room and lay them at my feet.
R- Rely on my sovereignty and not on your ability to control things
U - Utter praises and thanksgiving for what I have done and who I am
S - Stay focused on me and not on circumstances
T - Trust me, for I love you with a heart that has no bounds.

It is hard to trust, and to faithfully believe in someone and something that you cannot not see, but over and over God has faithfully had the back of those who believed and trusted in his name and in his power. Now is the time to step up in faith and trust God with whatever hard stuff you are having to deal with. He is the only one who has the answers and the know how to generate within us a clean heart and the courage to keep on forging forward in battle, in hope, and in trust in Jesus!

Please pray if you would for Nick and his family, that God would show his hand of mercy and grace and continue to give them a peace that does pass all understanding. Thank you dearly, Cathy

Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!