Prayers for the Week – June 2nd, 2013

Hello everyone, and welcome back to our weekly series Prayers for the Week.  For those that may not know, this weekly post is a list of prayer requests that you have supplied to me — oro that I have asked you to pray about.  Starting with this week, I’m going to focus on a specific Bible verse that I would like to leave with you — for this week, I’m sharing Jeremiah 29:11, which states:

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord; plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

In the wake of the continue natural disasters that we are seeing in Oklahoma and throughout the midwest, I felt that it was important to share with you all that God has planned for us.  If you read this and have been affected by the tornadoes or other storms, please know that you have millions of people across the world praying for you, and know that God is looking out for you if you but ask Him to help you.  I know for many of you that isn’t something you want to hear right now — you have lost loved ones, or property, or any number of other things — but know that God is there for you, and the sooner you put your trust in Him, I believe the sooner you will see that things will get better.  It won’t be overnight, and it may not take the form that you want it to take, but it will get better.

Prayer Requests…

• In a follow up to one of our prayer requests from last week, here is an update:My Friend was diagnosed with colon cancer on Friday. It appears from the CT scan and the EGD and Colonoscopy that the cancer is contained. There is a small concern over some swelling by his appendix and kidney but no one is too concerned. The care team down here has been great. Within 2 hours of diagnosis, we had seen the oncologist twice, the cardiologist 3 times, the GI 4 times and the endocrinologist once. The surgeon – who was in the ER all weekend – came into to see My Friend 3 times between 9 pm Friday and 7 am Saturday. They are all collaborating very well and want to move fast. We have follow up appointments to schedule with the oncologist and cardiologist and possibly with the GI or urologist for the area of swelling. Because he had a stent put in on 5/8, they want him to stay on the plavix through 6/8, be readmitted on the 8th for 3 days of IV antiplatelet. The colon resection is scheduled for the 12th with a 4-8 day hospital stay after that. They aren’t sure if he will need chemo afterwards or not. So far, all very good news and we know God is working and present through all of this (I can fill you in on all the signs later – including the doctor scheduling the discharge this time for 5/26 and the next admission on 6/8 so we fall into the readmission window!). Thank you for all of your prayers and support! We will continue to need them. Especially for his job since he hasn’t been there a year so is not protected by FMLA and will likely be terminated when he asks for a 3-4 week leave of absence and for the fact that he will be at a slightly higher risk for a heart attack during and after surgery due to the short timeframe between the stent placement and the colon resection!

  I will add that I am 110% convinced that the good CT results were a result of all of your prayers when I only gave you a small piece of information. Thanks for being there! When this is all over, we’ll throw a huge party to celebrate!!!

• Please pray for my friend Denise — her mother passed away May 23rd. They are having the service for her on Saturday, please lift up Denise and her family as they deal with the loss of their loved one. Please pray for God to give His Peace upon them, that they would have comfort and strength, and joy in knowing that she is in a better place.
• Please pray for my friend Susan — her mother passed away on Saturday the 25th. Please pray for God’s Peace to descend upon them, pray for their strength in the days and weeks ahead, and pray for them to have comfort and joy in knowing that she is in a much better place now with our Lord.
• My friend Jodi from Magical Mouse Schoolhouse would like some healing prayers for a stomach bug that she has developed. She’s had it a couple of days and it’s not getting better at the moment. Please lift her up, and thanks!
• Also, please pray for the people in Oklahoma City and throughout Oklahoma tonight as they get hammered again by tornadoes. May God hold them close and keep them safe. In addition to Oklahoma City, please pray for all of Oklahoma, and include the entire Midwest in your prayers. St. Louis is also under alert, so please pray for all of the people in the midwest to be safe.Thanks!
• My friends, please pray for the families of those heroes lost in the fire in Houston. Every day people put their lives on the line, and today, God called four of them home. May God give their families Peace, Strength, and Comfort in their time of grief.  From the Local 341 in the International Association of Firefighters Union:“Houston firefighters mourn the loss of our three brothers and our sister and will forever honor their sacrifices. Our association and the International Association of Fire Fighters are monitoring the conditions of the six injured firefighters and will be assisting them and their families in every way possible. This tragedy underscores the inherent dangers of our profession. Please keep Houston firefighters in your thoughts and prayers.”

  I have had several members of my family serve in volunteer firefighter (and rescue squad) organizations throughout the country, and everyone knows that this is a risk to anyone that puts on that uniform.  Please be with their families who, while proud of the service their loved ones did, still mourn their loss. Thanks!

Praises!

• The biggest praise I can give is the same one that I give everytime that there is a big natural (or other) disaster.  The love and compassion that we feel towards our fellow men and women at times such as this is heartwarming, and it truly makes one feel like there is still good in this world.  The prayer I have to go along with it is that we would remember this when things go back to “normal” and that we would continue our good wave of humanity.

Thank you all for your prayers and praises this week!  It truly does help all of us out when we become the prayer warriors that God wants us to be!  We all should strive to be more like Epaphras, as he is described in Colossians 4:12:

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.

Have a blessed day, my friends, and may the Peace of God be with you, today and forever. Amen.

Related articles

• Prayers for the Week – Memorial Day, 2013! (mydreamsofdisney.com)

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