Day 17 – Sunday (9/09/18)
Today was another good day. I am feeling very good for having surgery two days ago. I was able to spend the entire morning and afternoon with my family (in-laws, parents, brother, wife, kids, aunt/uncle from Kansas). We all had a really good time together. Just a reminder the next milestone we are looking for in my health situation is the results from the latest biopsy, which I suspect will come Wednesday.
Tonight was the first night of Awana’s at our Church for this school year. My kids always enjoy attending Awana. It is a Bible club that is focused on Bible verse memorization, mixed with snacks and games. While the kids participate in Awana, the adults have an evening service in the sanctuary. My thought for the day comes from a story/joke that the guest speaker tonight used at the opening of the message. The below is copied from a website (noted afterward), and is similar to the story that was told.
A fellow was stuck on his rooftop in a flood. He was praying to God for help. Soon a man in a rowboat came by and the fellow shouted to the man on the roof, “Jump in, I can save you.” The stranded fellow shouted back, “No, it’s OK, I’m praying to God and he is going to save me.” So the rowboat went on. Then a motorboat came by. “The fellow in the motorboat shouted, “Jump in, I can save you.” To this the stranded man said, “No thanks, I’m praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith.” So the motorboat went on. Then a helicopter came by and the pilot shouted down, “Grab this rope and I will lift you to safety.” To this the stranded man again replied, “No thanks, I’m praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith.” So the helicopter reluctantly flew away. Soon the water rose above the rooftop and the man drowned. He went to Heaven. He finally got his chance to discuss this whole situation with God, at which point he exclaimed, “I had faith in you but you didn’t save me, you let me drown. I don’t understand why!” To this God replied, “I sent you a rowboat and a motorboat and a helicopter, what more did you expect?” (citation — this was directly copied from https://truthbook.com/stories/funny-god/the-drowning-man)
Hearing this led me to my thought for the day. I have read some true stories where people refuse medical treatment, on the belief that God will heal them through a miracle. Could He? Absolutely. However, what if God’s plan was to heal through the medical treatments? I guess this got me thinking on what does faith look like in action? For me personally, I feel that when I pray, I’m praying that God will guide me through my current storm. Guide me to the right hospital. Guide me to the right doctors. Guide the doctors to the right diagnosis. Guide the doctors to the right treatment plan. Now, could God intervene at any point during this process and perform a miracle and blobby is suddenly gone? Absolutely. I guess for me, I fully accept (through faith) that God is in control, and he will open and close the doors needed to guide me out of the storm. When I have been praying for God to help me, and a man in the helicopter drops a rope to pull me off the building? I’m going to grab it, knowing God opened that door, and answered that prayer.
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for a great family day. Thank You for the guest speaker tonight at Church. I pray that you would bless him and his family, and continue to use him in ministry. Thank You for reminding me that You can work in many ways. Sometimes you heal through miracles, sometimes you heal through doctors. Either way, I know that you will heal in a way that You get the glory. Help me to use this storm that I am in as a testimony to how loving, powerful, and great You are. Thank You again for such an easy recovery from the surgical biopsy. I pray for all the school kids and teachers as they head back to school tomorrow. Keep everyone safe at the bus stops, in the school buildings, etc. I pray for safety of travel for my aunt and uncle as they return to Kansas tomorrow. Amen.