Prayer for the Sick

This has been on my mind a lot lately.  So many people in my circle or near my circle have been struck with severe illness in the last couple years.  It's very sobering.  It's actually hard for me to really take in.  I have to fight against passivity because the thought of the actual burden is quite overwhelming.

Well, one of these families was in church on Sunday and had an opportunity to share with the body what their year has looked like, and also testify to God's sovereignty.  It was quite moving, heart-wrenching, and inspiring at the same time.  Afterwards, our pastor stood and said a prayer over our body...a prayer filled with Scripture, filled with humility, filled with petition, and filled with praise.  His prayer really stuck with me.  Before the end of the day, I asked him to email it to me (because I knew he had it written down).  I've meditated on it these last couple days and I want to share it with you.  If you know someone, or know of someone, who is struggling with illness but you don't know what to pray (or what to keep praying), I offer this to you as a place to start.  God's Word is living and active (Heb 4:12)...and in It there is power!

Our Most Gracious Heavenly Father, we humbly bow before you this day and say with the Psalmist:

We bless You, O our souls,
And all that is within us, bless Your holy name.
We bless You, O our souls,

And forget none of Your benefits;
Who pardon all our iniquities,

Who heal all our diseases;
Who redeem our lives from the pit,

Who crown us with lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfy our years with good things,

So that our youth is renewed like the eagle.

(Adapted from Psalm 103:1-5)

Indeed, Lord, we rejoice knowing You alone truly heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds (Psalm 147:3). We can proclaim with confidence these things are true:

For You formed our inward parts;

You wove us in our mothers' wombs.
We will give thanks to You, for we are

fearfully and wonderfully made;

Wonderful are Your works,

And our soul knows it very well.
Our frame was not hidden from You,

When we were made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
Your eyes have seen our

unformed substance;

And in Your book were all written

The days that were ordained for us,

When as yet there was not one of them.

(Adapted from Psalm 139:13-16)

And yet, Father, we groan during our pilgrimage on this earth, infected by the curse of sin and subject to sickness and pain as a result of the fall. We groan, yes, because we suffer and at times are tempted to lose heart. We ache and hurt and become downcast in our souls. We groan mostly, though, because we long for the ultimate hope we have through Jesus Christ our Saviour Who has risen from the dead conquering sin and death...a hope that will be fulfilled on that great day when we will see Him face-to-face.  While we wait, our frailty reminds us of both of our weakness this day and the reality that we will be frail no more on that day. We recall these words of the Apostle Paul and exult:

It is sown a perishable body,
it is raised an imperishable body;
it is sown in dishonor,
it is raised in glory;
it is sown in weakness,
it is raised in power; 
it is sown a natural body,
it is raised a spiritual body....
For this perishable must put on the imperishable,

and this mortal must put on immortality.

(1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 53)

And so, Father, we come before Your throne today with complete confidence in You.  You are sovereign, You are ultimately and completely trustworthy, and You are worthy of all glory and praise. We long, then, that You be glorified in the midst of the sickness afflicting many in this body. We also express a great desire, Lord, that this prayer - offered in faith - will restore those who are sick. We would be grateful if the way You choose to do that would be to heal their bodies. We know You are able to do this, either in miraculous ways without earthly intervention or by working through human means.  We submit, though, to Your ultimate purposes that are always designed to result in both our good and Your glory. We consider that word - restore - and it brings to mind Your perfect care for us as our Shepherd both now and forever:

The LORD is my shepherd,
I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness
for His name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil,
for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You have anointed my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

Surely goodness and lovingkindness
will follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

(Psalm 23:1-6)

May all who are sick rest in these great truths...truths that remind us our health, our healing, our hope, indeed our very identity, are hidden safely in You, O great God. And may these great truths be a sweet balm to the souls of the sick as they press in ever closer to You, remembering this:

Therefore we do not lose heart,
but though our outer man is decaying,
yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.
For momentary, light affliction
is producing for us an eternal weight of glory
far beyond all comparison,
while we look not at the things which are seen,
but at the things which are not seen;
for the things which are seen are temporal,
but the things which are not seen are eternal.

(2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

We ask all these things of You, Heavenly Father, THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME, in the name of Jesus Christ, our great King and Saviour, Amen.

Grandparents

...Grandparents.  Today was Grandparent's Day at our children's school, Regent Preparatory.  It is such a special day.  One of my favorite of the whole year.  The children start preparing right after school starts...memorizing songs, poems, Scripture, famous speeches...preparing art and science projects.  It is  HUGE day for the school.  They put on a fantastic presentation with a blend of historical, Biblical & patriotic components, and every year I either tear up or at least get a thump in my throat.  And it is all to honor...Grandparents.  Grandparents are such a rich part of a family's history and children can learn so much from them...especially unending Love!  Not every child gets the chance to grow up with grandparents, so I am thankful for every blessed year that they are in our lives...loving on us, cheering us on, interested in our lives, and always there when you call or want to drop by.

My boys are blessed to have 3 grandparents and 2 great-grandparents.  And all 5 of them come to Grandparents Day every fall...one of whom drives 2 hours to do so.  I am so thankful for the grandparents in our family because they just love us and our children with a deep richness that is palpable.  Their arms are always opened wide and their giving is unending.

We can never equally give back to you to the degree you have invested in our family over these past 60+ years, but our school and our families honor you today to show you what a rich heritage you have helped create with these young children.  The life lessons you have taught us, we pass to them.  You have a great legacy behind you.  Our boys may not recognize it now, but one day when they are sitting in the audience with silver hair watching their own legacy on the stage, they will remember...and be grateful.

Thoughts

Well....stuff is on my mind all the time but I don't seem to make time to get it here on the blog.  I think that's because I envision myself as having this really great blog that everyone loves to read...so I don't want to post something that doesn't live up to that standard, in my mind.  Hence, I already have 2 blog posts that have been started but never even finished.  So, I have to lower the expectation I am putting on myself.  Short blog bursts, things I am thinking about, questions in my head...nothing long.  Something I can do in 10 minutes.

Our church has been meeting the last 8 Wednesday nights doing a series on the Body...the Body of Christ that is.  Last night I was challenged on taking my thoughts captive.  Something I have done a lot better with over the years.  I found myself thinking about how much I have improved in this area...how much more awareness I have in this regard.   Then.....the next morning......I got behind a slow driver.  I heard myself thinking, "Give me a break!"  This reminded me that even though we improve in an area, even greatly improve, we still fall short of God's perfect design - elimintaing any opportunity for boasting.  Thank you Jesus for reminding me Who is the Source of all growth and Who is the Carrier of all my short-comings.  I don't deserve you.

Annointed

Believe it or not, this is the first time I've had a block of time to myself with nothing pressing to do so I can finally blog!  Life has been a whirlwind since school started, it seems.  Throughout August & September, I would occasionally think of a cool blog title for something I was doing...but alas I have not gotten around to making it a reality.  The stuff that's on my mind will eventually make it down on this virtual paper though...at some point.  So, what do I write about first?  What event(s) stick out in my mind first when I think back on the last 6-8 weeks.  One definitely comes to mind that I've been wanting to blog about.

It's actually a followup on a previous post of mine about a rental house I bought.  It was a cool story of how Jesus blessed me richly when I was trying to get a good deal on a rental property that I wanted to refurbish.  Well, this is the conclusion of that story.

After we closed on the house, which was about a 3-4 weeks later, we immediately started the rehab.  And by we, I mean my contractor.  However, I was there at the house every day...sometimes twice a day making decisions, answering questions, solving problems, delivering supplies, writing checks, you name it.  Whew!  I was in a hurry though to get it finished, cleaned and listed for rent because the end of August was really close and a lot of people like to move at the end of the month.  I really wanted to get it listed in time for someone who might have needed it September 1st.  One month of missed rent is a big deal on the bottom line too.

Okay...so we bang this house out in 1 week.  And that is 6 straight days of 6am-10pm hours with the last day ending at 2am because carpet was being delivered.  Side note: they usually don't work those kinds of crazy hours, and despite what it may sound like...I'm not a slave-driver.  However, they had a tight schedule and so did I, so there you go.  After carpet is laid and a final cleaning, it's ready for rent.  How close are we to the end of the month?  Ack!  Too close.  About 2-3 days left.  Oh well.  Let's see what happens.

Now comes the exhausting part...if managing a rehab is not exhausting.  Getting called all day long from potential renters, who you are trying to interview as candidates without letting them know that's what you're doing.  Scheduling showings in between working, school pickup, other appointments, evening & school commitments...spending enough time with each renter to get a feel for them...managing the insecurity of "Did I price this too high?  How does my house compare to others?"  After 1-2 weeks of constant showings with no bites, I start to wonder.  What should I do?  Stick to my guns?  Lower the price?  I had it priced on the high end because our rehab guy did an absolutely fantastic job.  It looked better than I imagined it would, so I thought I might be able to get a higher rent.  First week of September is down now, with nothing.  So I lower the price.  My thinking is that if people want it by October 1st, they should be biting with an application soon.  I don't want to squander good potentials because I have it priced too high.  I am sharing my thoughts with my good friend who also has rental properties.  I told her it was making me a bit nervous, waiting on God to provide the right family for that house, but I knew the wait was good for me.

A couple days later, she calls and wants to pray with me about the house.  What a blessing she is!  I say sure, and she goes on to explain that the last house she bought she anointed with oil and prayed over it.  Hmmm....I have never done that before.  I mean, I have prayed over every house either while I was in it or while I was thinking about it...praying for the people who would live there.  But I've never anointed anything.  I'm not opposed to it, I've just not done it.  It there something specific you're supposed to say?  Is it the same as praying?  I know what it means...Set Apart for God's Purpose...and that's what I want this house to be.  I want it to serve Him well and bring glory to him by the way I use it and by the people who live there.  So, I invite her over to the house and it's just her and me.  She has a bottle of oil from her house, and all she did was dot a bit on the door and window frames while she prayed for the house, it's protection, for the people, etc.  Similar to what I was already doing prayer-wise, but with the biblical significance of adding the oil & asking God to set this house apart for His purpose.

It was such a joy praying with her.  She didn't have to do that for me...but boy did it bless me.  So, now there is oil on the door posts.  Everyone who walks in and out of that place is walking underneath prayer.  That is a cool picture. 

Next morning.  Phone rings.  Again.  Another renter wants to see the house, but they are on a tight schedule and want to see it right now...if I'm available of course.  Well normally I am not because I have myself pretty booked up, but I actually had that whole morning free and was just cleaning house and doing laundry.  So, I said okay and met them there.  So, now the interviewing starts.  Why are you moving?  What do you do?  Where are you from?  Let me show you around.  But I don't make it sound bulleted like that.  Just like a normal conversation.  After all of that, I learn that they are believers and are very faithful to a local church.  She has been a Christian for years...and he has been one for 3 weeks.  Come again?  3 Weeks?  Turns out, she has been praying for him to recognize who God is and His power to save, and through all his ups and downs and a big emotional low, his eyes were opened to what his life was missing. Jesus!

So cool!  It wasn't just their story that moved me, but also just the way they were.  They were different than others I had seen.  Oh, and the kicker....their lease expires in 4 days.  They need the house immediately!  Whoa.  How did God do that?  Well, the rest is history.  We signed the lease the next day and they started moving in that night.  Now, when I imagine them at that house, living with their kids, doing life, I imagine that oil that has not been washed off...that they are walking under (unknowingly) every time they enter a room.  Those prayers now live there, just like they do.  Thank you Jesus for that gift to them that they don't even know about.

Don't Wait for the Funeral

Last night I hosted a Lia Sophia (jewelry) party at my house...this is big for me because I'm not a huge fan of hosting parties like this, especially if they involve too much cooking...but I digress.  Anyway, the rep who was selling the jewelry started out in the usual way..."Will everyone introduce yourselves to the group and tell us how you know Julie."  Okay, sounds easy enough.  But then....she made one more request.  "And please tell us 1 thing that you admire about Julie."  Uhhhh, I wasn't expecting that.  I made a little joke about how I promise I didn't put her up to that...and then I looked to see who was the first person in the circle. 

Side note:  I hate being the first person in the circle when asked to do something like that because you get No warning and Not enough time to think of something really good.  Especially if it's a hard question like "tell us something funny about this person" or "tell us something no one else may know."  Okay, really?  That takes a little time...and sometimes a Lot of time to come up with something....and then you're on the spot looking stupid if you have to think.  Then the anxiety from the silence makes it hard to think....and round and round you go.

Okay...back to the circle.  Will this be awkward?  Who is first...whew!  It's my mother...and next to her is my grandmother (who was so dear to come support my party even though she doesn't wear jewelry!).  So, my potential awkwardness subsides.  Surely my mother won't have to think too long about what she admires about me.  And she didn't.  But I didn't expect the answer I got.  "I admire Julie for getting this house so clean because I was here yesterday and it was a Pit!"  *gasp*  "Mother!"  Definitely got a laugh though.  So much for family secrets, I guess.  To be fair, she was being serious in that I had worked all day and still managed to get the house ready for company, which would have been hard for her, hence...something she admired.  I love you Mom....thanks for keeping it real! 

Then on to Grandma who said something sweet about the first time she saw me, and the circle continued.  Now onto friends.  Hopefully the laughing at my mother's comment and the Awww's I got during my grandmother's turn gave the other people enough time to think of something!  Then things turned surprisingly sweet & sincere.  I heard things about how organized I was, how well I raise my children, about my good financial & business sense, my diligence to working out, my overall friendliness, and my relationship with Jesus.  Woah.  I didn't expect how this made me feel.  Quite the center of attention, which isn't the most comfortable place for me to sit....and a little overwhelmed by all the sweet words, which I knew were genuine.  I made a quick joke about how I felt like I was at my funeral or something!  That got some laughs, then we were off to some fun jewelry shopping for the rest of the evening.

However, I can't stop thinking about it.  We usually do wait until someone's funeral to say all kinds of nice things about them.  Why is that?  Maybe the opportunity doesn't often present itself.  Maybe it's not quite comfortable.  Maybe it's that we don't often take the time to think of something to say.  Maybe we think that person already knows how we feel.  It does take more effort...more effort than just enjoying their company or participating in a dialog.  It's a little out of our box...just enough out of our box to keep us from doing it much.  "I love you" is different than something you admire.  That takes a special effort.  And we are willing and eager to go through that effort after we have lost someone we love, because it helps us grieve them.  But when you think about it, isn't that kind of self-centered?  We are eager to bless someone when we need it, but are a little oblivious when they need it.

I remember a couple years ago when someone from our small group at church suddenly died.  She struggled a lot with her self-esteem...but when I listened to what sweet things everyone was saying about her (me included) I was a bit sad that we didn't say those things to her when she was here.  Maybe she would have thought differently about herself if we were (I was) more diligent to tell her those things when she was alive.  Well, after being on the receiving end of all those blessings and realizing what a big difference it can make to someone's outlook, I plan to change that.  I'm glad I didn't have to wait until my funeral for those words to be expressed about me.  They bless me so much more now than they will then...obviously!  So, my goal?....to enrich other lives around me not just by showing them I love them, but telling them why I love them.  Maybe it will change someone...you never know.

Recovering Control Addict

My mind is an interesting place to be...I think.  Not interesting in the sense that I think I am super interesting...but interesting in that I think on things that probably no one ever thinks about. 

I regularly refer to myself as a Recovering Control Addict.  It's not a label I'm proud of, and it has caused its share of problems in my life.  I see myself as "in Recovery".  I'm not sure what "chip" number I'd be on if they actually had a support group for such people but I might be around the 5-year mark.  I guess that's how long I've been "sober" from the grip of having to control my environment.  David and I laugh about it now.  There is an upside to this condition...at least it feels that way to me (I guess you'll have to ask those around me to get the real truth on that one).  My nature is to see the details of everything.  I manage details well.  I can see details that need to be addressed before they come up...if I'm organizing something, I can plan it out in my head so that I can spot the holes.  David on the other hand is the big picture guy.  Many times I have gotten overwhelmed in the details of something and can't see the forest for the trees...and then he saves the day by showing me what seems so obvious to him.  David to the rescue!  Then I can get back to the business of getting the details worked out. 

So back to my addiction, if I see a better way of doing something...I want to say something.  If there's a faster way to get somewhere or a more efficient way of accomplishing any task...I want to tell you!  Don't you want to know how you can do that thing better than you are?  Hmmmm...you see my problem?  Okay, so I feel like I've earned my sobriety chip because now I don't always tell you what I'm thinking.  Isn't that nice of me?....right.  Didn't I say there was an upside?  Oh yeah...the upside is that I do tend to be super-efficient in most tasks I set out to accomplish and I can snuff out the inefficiencies really fast...and I can see several steps ahead and plan for it.  These are handy traits in the workplace and when planning 2-week family road trips (have you followed my trips on facebook...those take 3 months to plan!), as well as being helpful in other areas.  On the other side, I have really learned to let go...let go of my need to have you do something the way I would...let go of how it may affect me if we get somewhere 15 minutes later...let go when I see inefficiencies that are really not a big deal.  On a side note, one thing that really makes me feel loved is when David asks me, "Which direction do you think would be the fastest?" or "What do you think is the best order for us to run these errands?"  Really?!?  You want me to tell you what I think?  I'd be happy to!  One time I asked him why he wanted my feedback and he said, "Because the way you do things is usually pretty good!"  Melted my heart....

Okay, so lately as I've been driving in my car...things cross my mind...about driving.  Actual driving.  I think about all the things I have learned about driving that you can't get in driver's ed.  All the things you learn through experience...like when you are driving in 3 lanes of traffic and you want to merge into the center lane, you have to look in the far lane as well to make sure no one else is wanting to merge into the same spot.  See, I told you my mind was an interesting place to be!  Well...maybe that's not the word you would use.  Okay, so my oldest son is 10...which means in 5 years he will be in the driver's seat while I am slamming the imaginary brake in the passenger seat.  I am already trying to prepare for those days so that I don't revert into old habits.  But I can already see that it's going to be tough because the consequenses of bad driving are not just getting somewhere 15 minutes late. 

So, to satisfy my need to control that environment (and by that I mean pass along my well-earned wisdom on the subject) while still maintaining a let-it-go attitude...I have a plan.  I plan to casually share my wisdom in very small pieces over the next few years...while he is still young enough to think I actually know something!  Just like when you explain smoking to an 8 year old...you say "That is bad for you" and you say it in varying ways over the years so that hopefully when they are old enough to choose for themselves, you have imprinted your wisdom into their mind enough that it sticks!  I already see that with my boys and driving!  Here are some comments I have already heard from the backseat:  "Look mom, that guy on the motorcycle is not wearing a helmet!"  "Mom, they have their dog in the back of that truck.  That's dangerous!"  "Look mom, that lady is texting on her phone!"  I just smile when I hear these comments, because it means my plan is working!  Wisdom being successfully transferred from mother to son!  I have to hurry up though...10 is not far away from the yucky years when I all of a sudden have no idea what I'm talking about.

So , that's what's going on in my head lately...at least while I'm driving.  How can I possibly teach all I know about driving to my kids so they will be fantastic and safe drivers? (Usually I'm thinking this while some teenager almost causes a wreck in front of me).  Okay, I'm realistic enough to know that will not happen...but I'm controlling enough to give it a shot.  There's got to be a balance...right?

Whisper #3 - It Once Was Lost, But Now It's Found

This is my 3rd post on Jesus whispers that I experienced this week.  What is a Jesus whisper?  It's something I made up...at least I made up the name.  See my my previous 2 posts for the history.  In short, they are stories of very specific events I experienced this week where I knew without any doubt that Jesus was intimately involved in giving me a helping hand.  How do I know it was Jesus and not just "good fortune?"  Well, I guess you can ask the same question of someone married to an identical twin.  "How do you know which one is your spouse?"  Uhhh...while they may look the same to others, I guarantee you their spouse can tell the difference...because they Know them.  Really know them.  While my "knowing Jesus" is always growing, I know Him enough to tell the difference.  So, I am giving Him the credit for these specific circumstances where I knew "something more" was going on here.

My last 2 posts were regarding some pretty big events and decisions I had to make this week.  This one however is pretty small...but I Love it when I see Jesus loving me in the smallest of ways.  Ways that others would never see or recognize or even think is a big deal.  Now, there are a million little good things that happen to me all around...and I honestly don't "thank Jesus" for each of them when they happen.  I just take it, enjoy it, and move on.  But there are some special times...times that may look the same to others...but where I can tell that this is different.  It's like Jesus went out of His way to give me something...or at least that's how it feels.  That's the case here.

Okay, let me set the scene.  Next to my side of the bed is this really small round table (it's actually a plant stool) big enough for an alarm clock and a bottle of lotion.  Near that table is a small trash can and a laundry basket with dirty laundry.  One day, I am looking for a certain piece of clothing...like a swim suit or something...and I was digging around in the dirty laundry to see if it was in there.  So I had kind of emptied the laundry out onto the floor while looking...then scooped it all up and put it back in.  That night as I'm heading to bed, I notice that there is 1 earring sitting on my small round table.  Where did this come from?  I don't remember this being here.  So I ask David...do you know where this came from?  He said he found my earrings on the floor so he picked them up and put them on my table.  Hmmm...okay.  But where is the other one?  Did it fall off again?  Where did it go?  I quickly look in the trash can, which is full and right next to the table.  I try not to move too many things around in it, in case the earring is precariously sitting on top of something.  I don't see it.  I remember the laundry.  I hope it's not in there!

Ah!  Irritating.  I love these earrings.  They are what I call my England Earrings.  David bought them for me in England...not the one overseas, but the one in Epcot!  They are still from England though so it counts!  Okay, so now I get to look through my entire trash can before I empty it...sounds like fun...but the fun will wait until tomorrow.

Tomorrow comes and I need to do laundry.  I start to pull out dirty clothes, and I see that full trash can.  Irritated.  Where is that thing?  I am careful to pick up the laundry one piece at a time in case the earring got "scooped up" into the basket.  If the earring is in the clothes, hopefully it will fall out if I'm careful.  Nothing.  No earring.  Okay...I move on.  I'll get around to sifting through that trash can at some point.  Laundry goes into the washer and my day goes on.

Later that day, I remember that I have a load in the washer and I start putting them into the dryer.  About half way through unloading it, I wonder to myself if the earring actually was in the clothes and got washed.  Okay...it happens all the time where the kids have coins the their pockets and I get some free money at the bottom of my washer (I actually have a bank above my washer to keep lost coins...and it's very Full).  Usually as I get closer to the bottom of unloading the load, I hear clanging noises from the coins being scooted as the laundry shifts (since I have a front-load washer).  So now I am hoping to hear some metalic noise as I get to the end of the wet clothes.  Then, at that Exact Moment...I hear the whisper.  Look in the lip of the washer.  (My front-load washer has this little lip near the rubber seal where a sock will occasionally get lodged).  Huh?  The lip?  You practically have to stick your whole head in the washer to see into the lip.  I haven't even finished unloading the wet clothes...but out of curiosity, while on my knees, I stick my Head in the washer, half-full with wet clothes...and There It is!!!  I can't believe it!  I pick it up...and just sit there with this huge smile on my face.  Immediately I think (and I may have even mouthed it), "Jesus, you are so nice to me!  You are just so nice!"

I run into the bedroom where David is and show him.  He was happy I found it but I don't think he really understood what had just happened.  I felt like Jesus had just scooped down and given me a little side-hug and said "Here you go."  I just loved Him so much for that.  What a nice thing for Him to do for me!

Now, when I wear them I will not only remember my sweet husband and when he bought them for me...but I will also remember this story...knowing that whatever joy I received from it, He had more than that when doing it.  And I love Him for that!