God's Sovereignty - Supremacy Over All Things
At this time we were still gathering information. As I recall we were feeling a bit anxious about the wait, wondering if the cancer would progress and get worse. We were still thinking that surgery was next on the "to do" list. But God's providence was still being unfolded before us. Our journey had not yet taken full flight. . .
September 10, 2010
Dennis’ procedure went well yesterday. The doctor was able to get a better look at the tumor and surrounding lymph nodes. Dennis did well waking up from the anesthesia. News was mixed, although not all together bad. The tumor has grown into the lining of the colon a bit. There also appear to be some lymph nodes that are affected. A biopsy was taken to analyze more closely. The favorable news was that the cancer has not spread into any other organs. We will meet again with the surgeon next Wednesday to go over the results and to determine the course of treatment.
I took my Daniel study to work on while I was waiting for Dennis. The section I worked on was very timely. Beth Moore writes, “ God’s sovereignty means that He has supremacy over all things and does whatever He desires with whomever or whatever He pleases. “ She added a quote from Harper’s Bible Dictionary, “God has a plan and purpose for His world. Providence is not a principle of orderliness or reason; rather, providence is the will of the Creator who is actively involved in moving His creation to a goal. Beth Moore added, “God’s providence is intentional and purposeful. God’s sovereignty and providence mean that He does what He pleases to accomplish His goals; and, thankfully, He is pleased to involve us in His process.”
As I sat and thought about this, I was reminded that none of this trial is an accident. God has a plan and a purpose for all of this. I do tend to favor order, and this experience is far outside my comfort zone. But I see that God is using us and at some point, whether here on earth or in eternity, we will see the final goal.
Our study moved on to the idea that God is a personal God who watches over us and that He will equip us with godly wisdom if we ask. Daniel chapter 2 tells us that Daniel and his companions were up all night praying, asking God to reveal the king’s dream to them. It was literally a matter of life and death. God was faithful and granted their request by revealing to Daniel alone the king’s dream. The study asked us to apply the idea of God granting wisdom and power to our current circumstances.
From the beginning, Dennis and I have never been led to pray for a miracle healing. It is not because we do not believe God could do a miracle in Dennis’ life, but because we both felt that that was not the path He had for us. It was interesting that we both felt this way even before we talked about it. After Dennis’ colonoscopy when the doctor told me he had found a mass and that he was pretty sure it was cancer, my first thought was that people were going to watch how we responded to this trial. I sat in the waiting room and prayed that the Lord would help us to be good witnesses of Him to others. Since then, we have prayed for ease in moving through each step; for timely appointments; for procedures to go without incident; for all things to be revealed during tests and procedures, for wisdom to be granted to the doctors and us as decisions need to be made. We have prayed for strength in our marriage; protection for Ellie and Josh; and for God’s provision. Because God is “intimately watchful over the . . . life of His child,” (Beth Moore) He has been faithful to answer each of these prayers - providing for our needs in so many ways. As we continue to trust in Him we have continued peace.
As we were driving home from Newport Beach in 5:00 p.m. Friday traffic, I couldn’t help but compare our journey to the pace of the freeway. I felt like we are moving forward, but slowly. Sometimes we stop for a moment (for a test or procedure) and then we move forward again. We have no control over the pace. Desiring to move faster only makes us anxious and frustrated. But when we can sit back and focus on the positive idea that we will eventually reach our destination, we can relax.
While I was mulling this over in my mind, I thought of the lyrics from the song “Mountain of God” by Third Day. “And even though the journey’s long and the I know the road is hard, the One who’s gone before me He will help me carry on. And after all that I’ve been through, now I realize the truth, that I must go through the valley to stand upon the mountain of God.” How grateful I am that we have a personal God who travels every road with us.
It was another Third Day song “My Hope is in You” that spoke of what I was feeling the other day. “To you O Lord, I lift my soul. In you, O God, I place my trust. Do not let me be put to shame. Nor let my enemies triumph over me. My hope is you. Show me your ways. Guide me in Truth in all my days. My hope is you. I am, O Lord, filled with your love. You are, O God, my salvation. Guard my life and rescue me. My broken spirit shouts. My mended heart cries out... My hope is in you.”
It is this hope that will see us through.
September 10, 2010
Dennis’ procedure went well yesterday. The doctor was able to get a better look at the tumor and surrounding lymph nodes. Dennis did well waking up from the anesthesia. News was mixed, although not all together bad. The tumor has grown into the lining of the colon a bit. There also appear to be some lymph nodes that are affected. A biopsy was taken to analyze more closely. The favorable news was that the cancer has not spread into any other organs. We will meet again with the surgeon next Wednesday to go over the results and to determine the course of treatment.
I took my Daniel study to work on while I was waiting for Dennis. The section I worked on was very timely. Beth Moore writes, “ God’s sovereignty means that He has supremacy over all things and does whatever He desires with whomever or whatever He pleases. “ She added a quote from Harper’s Bible Dictionary, “God has a plan and purpose for His world. Providence is not a principle of orderliness or reason; rather, providence is the will of the Creator who is actively involved in moving His creation to a goal. Beth Moore added, “God’s providence is intentional and purposeful. God’s sovereignty and providence mean that He does what He pleases to accomplish His goals; and, thankfully, He is pleased to involve us in His process.”
As I sat and thought about this, I was reminded that none of this trial is an accident. God has a plan and a purpose for all of this. I do tend to favor order, and this experience is far outside my comfort zone. But I see that God is using us and at some point, whether here on earth or in eternity, we will see the final goal.
Our study moved on to the idea that God is a personal God who watches over us and that He will equip us with godly wisdom if we ask. Daniel chapter 2 tells us that Daniel and his companions were up all night praying, asking God to reveal the king’s dream to them. It was literally a matter of life and death. God was faithful and granted their request by revealing to Daniel alone the king’s dream. The study asked us to apply the idea of God granting wisdom and power to our current circumstances.
From the beginning, Dennis and I have never been led to pray for a miracle healing. It is not because we do not believe God could do a miracle in Dennis’ life, but because we both felt that that was not the path He had for us. It was interesting that we both felt this way even before we talked about it. After Dennis’ colonoscopy when the doctor told me he had found a mass and that he was pretty sure it was cancer, my first thought was that people were going to watch how we responded to this trial. I sat in the waiting room and prayed that the Lord would help us to be good witnesses of Him to others. Since then, we have prayed for ease in moving through each step; for timely appointments; for procedures to go without incident; for all things to be revealed during tests and procedures, for wisdom to be granted to the doctors and us as decisions need to be made. We have prayed for strength in our marriage; protection for Ellie and Josh; and for God’s provision. Because God is “intimately watchful over the . . . life of His child,” (Beth Moore) He has been faithful to answer each of these prayers - providing for our needs in so many ways. As we continue to trust in Him we have continued peace.
As we were driving home from Newport Beach in 5:00 p.m. Friday traffic, I couldn’t help but compare our journey to the pace of the freeway. I felt like we are moving forward, but slowly. Sometimes we stop for a moment (for a test or procedure) and then we move forward again. We have no control over the pace. Desiring to move faster only makes us anxious and frustrated. But when we can sit back and focus on the positive idea that we will eventually reach our destination, we can relax.
While I was mulling this over in my mind, I thought of the lyrics from the song “Mountain of God” by Third Day. “And even though the journey’s long and the I know the road is hard, the One who’s gone before me He will help me carry on. And after all that I’ve been through, now I realize the truth, that I must go through the valley to stand upon the mountain of God.” How grateful I am that we have a personal God who travels every road with us.
It was another Third Day song “My Hope is in You” that spoke of what I was feeling the other day. “To you O Lord, I lift my soul. In you, O God, I place my trust. Do not let me be put to shame. Nor let my enemies triumph over me. My hope is you. Show me your ways. Guide me in Truth in all my days. My hope is you. I am, O Lord, filled with your love. You are, O God, my salvation. Guard my life and rescue me. My broken spirit shouts. My mended heart cries out... My hope is in you.”
It is this hope that will see us through.
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