Silver lining

“Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”  Psalm 103:1-5

Ever since this “unexpected journey” began, we have prayed this season would not be wasted. We desire for God to receive the glory. Easier said than done when you continue receiving hard news. I have to be honest, I woke up with a heavy heart this morning, knowing this week could be filled with ups and downs. As you know, there are still many unknowns. Regardless, I know and claim the truth in 2 Corinthians 12 – His grace is my sufficiency in great weakness. Boy, was I claiming that truth today as we headed to Mercy for yet another radioactive injection and scan. We do not know the results of the bone scan yet, but I received a very special promise from a newly introduced sister in Christ who has walked through a sarcoma diagnosis and has been in remission two and a half years. She encouraged me to read 2 Chronicles 20 (thank you Marissa). It greatly encouraged my heart as I waited for the bone scan and my mind raced. This was my favorite verse …

”This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.’”  2 Chronicles 20:15

While meditating on this verse, I walked back to my scan only to be stopped by the man at the front desk who knows me on a first name basis now. He said, ‘I noticed you were reading a Bible, what church do you go to?” We had a special conversation, and as I walked away, I said to him, “Yep, this stuff isn’t fun, but I know Who’s in control.” He smiled in agreement.

As they set up the machine to scan my body, that verse kept rolling through my head, “For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” I pray I can continue to claim this Truth moment by moment, especially when fears creep in. Thank you for praying for peace through all of these tests.

Now on to the good news. Later this afternoon, I received a call that my lymph node biopsy was normal. I was honestly in shock, almost waiting for her to tell me something else. But, she said that was it and that I needed some good news. As Chris commented this evening, it is ironic we are surprised when we receive answers to prayer. I want to thank all of you once again for your constant intercession for my family and for my healing. This is one instance I can say with complete confidence, “The Lord did this.” God honored the prayers of His people and we are humbled and give Him all the glory.

Please continue praying that my bone scan comes back clean and the areas of concern on the CT scan have disappeared or are due to inflammation. Also lift up Dr. Smith as she meets with the tumor board on Wednesday to discuss my treatment plan and the appointments I will have with both her and Dr. Keefer this week. We plan to mail my referral package to MD Anderson tomorrow.

The road ahead may be long, but we are taking this moment to celebrate the small victories along the way and give God the praise.

“Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases …”  Psalm 103:1-3