Taylor Swift came to town with 22 custom painted semis so she could thrill her fans. I imagine she might have been asked to perform an encore at the end of her show.
I’m no TS, but I’ve been “asked” to do an encore performance with the chemo regime, starting tonight, since the first round didn’t quite get rid of all the cancer. That will extend my tome at The Mercy Chemo Health Spa.
But we’re okay with that. Here’s why:
Our sovereign God could have intervened to shorten my stay if it was in his or my best interest. If we’re going to get upset every time our prayers are answered differently than we asked, then we’d have to take out our scissors and remove Romans 8:28 from the rest of the text (plus a LOT of other verses). If we really believe God’s way is best and we really do want to follow him, then we just have to believe he will work ALL things for good for ALL those who love him and follow him. The thing we are too often apt to forget is that ALL things often includes circumstances we don’t like. And to put that into perspective, consider this:
Another Christian, Pastor Edward Awabdeh was abducted by ISIS in April and was executed for his faith September 23. He intentionally took the risk by staying in his village to care for and encourage the people in his village. He is now in heaven but only after giving the “performance” of his life.
So as you pray for Marcia and me in our unexpected journey through cancer, I encourage you to set aside time each day to pray for all those who are suffering – even unto death.
As much as we are entertained by singers and sports heroes, let’s ask God for even more passion about things that really matter. It will change your life – for the better!
