Prayers for the Week – We Will Serve the Lord

¹⁵And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” ~ Joshua 24:15 (ESV)

Hello my friends, and welcome to this week’s Prayers for the Week post!  We have had a busy week, full of a lot of news, some good, some not so good, so let’s get started right on it!

Whom do you serve?  Do you serve the Lord, or do you ignore the Lord (at best) — or serve someone or something else?  There comes a time in our lives when we need to choose a path.  Remember the words of Jesus, as found in Revelation 3:15-16:

¹⁵“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! ¹⁶So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. ~ Revelation 3:15-16 (ESV)

We live in the world of the politically correct — in the world where youth soccer games aren’t scored because we don’t want children growing up knowing what it feels like to try your best but not win.  We live in a world where we must stop and consider each and every word anyone has ever said or will ever say because we don’t want to be labeled with some hateful label.  Well, my friends, on this day, I say to you that I am a Christian, my wife and daughter are Christians, and we will serve the Lord!

For many months, we have been praying for my sister — for her to complete the education she so wanted, to teach special needs children, to get a job interview, and to find a job.  Well, my friends, this past Monday Robin had a job interview, and on Wednesday, we found out that SHE GOT THE JOB!!!

I am so proud of the Christian my sister is — in many ways, it is because of her that I am a Christian today.  We prayed and prayed and prayed, but we always prayed for God’s Will be done, knowing that His Will would see Robin to the job she was meant to have, and on Wednesday, that prayer was answered for Robin.  For all of you that prayed for her, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Which brings us to the not so good news.  On the same day, on Wednesday, I received a phone call from my parents.  During the course of that phone call, I learned that my Mom has Breast Cancer.  It is believed that they caught it early, and that things will be okay, but despite all of that, it is my Mom, and it is Cancer, and putting those words down on paper fills my heart with a bit of nervousness.  I know that fear and anxiety is not of God, as it is written in 2 Timothy 1:7:

⁷for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. ~ 2Timothy 1:7 (ESV)

But my human side is nervous, but I’m going to turn to Scripture, and use my prayers to allow God to fill me with the power of love.  Still, we all would love your prayers for my Mom, so thank you for praying for her. Her name is Ellen.

Now, please continue your prayers by lifting up the rest of our prayer requests and praises!  I’m sorry I’ve run so long, but I know you understand why.

Prayer Requests and Praises…

• Big Praises from my friend Amanda regarding her husband Daniel. Here is what she wrote:I guess it’s a good thing these updates are becoming more or less monthly! We hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday season and are braving the winter! We have lots of good news this update.
  First, Daniel had a PET scan on Christmas Eve and it came back “unremarkable” meaning no cancer was detected. That was obstacle #1. Because of the chemo he is one, the PET scans don’t always get a good read on the intestines so he is going in for an EGD and Colonoscopy on February 4th to check everything out. At that time he will also have a polyp removed from his duodenum that they couldn’t get before we started all this treatment. With those results they can give us the all clean or the more treatment needed decision. Obstacle #2.
  Second, because his PET came back unremarkable, he was able to have his last round of chemo on January 12th. YAYYYYY!!! His hair is growing back already and his energy levels are rising. He is still having a lot of side effects from the chemo but it takes 5-8 weeks to start to leave your body so we expect those to last a little longer. Obstacle #3.
  Third, his osteonecrosis in his mouth seems to have healed. The oral surgeon is watching it but the bone is no longer exposed. We are just making sure it doesn’t get reaggravated before it heals completely. Obstacle #4.
  Next steps: After the EGD/Colonoscopy, we meet with the surgeon to schedule and plan the hernia repair. That appointment is scheduled for mid-February so we should know if we have the all clear to proceed by then. We are hoping the surgery can be scheduled the end of February/beginning of March but that will depend on the surgeon. It would be wonderful for Daniel to start spring on the mend to a “normal” (whatever that is!) life! The oncologist will follow up monthly with a PET scan every 3 months for the first year or so to be proactive in catching any recurrence since it came back so quickly last time. So, with any luck, he may be able to be back to work and active living in the next few months!
  Praise be to God and all our prayer warriors! We thank you all for traveling on this journey with us and offering prayers on our behalf. It definitely appears they are working!!! If we can ask for a few more, please pray that the EGD/Colonoscopy is clean and the polyp removal and hernia repair go smoothly with speedy and easy recovery. Also pray that his osteonecrosis fully heals and that God provides him the right job as he begins the job hunt again. And last but not least, please pray for the clinicians and staff that worked to get us here. I have never met so many wonderful strangers willing to fight for someone’s life (except maybe any time I’m around our armed forces or police officers).
  We pray for you all every day! You have made this journey so much easier and caused more than a few miracles to this point! It’s not over yet but we are through the biggest obstacles! If you ever need specific prayers (or extra) please don’t hesitate to ask! We would love to return the favor!Please continue to pray for them, and give God the glory for all that he has done for them so far. Thank you everyone!
• Prayers go out to the family of my friend Thomas, who lost his father. Here is what he wrote:Thanks you all for your thoughts and prayers. My dad had a massive hemorrhagic stroke last night and passed away around 1am this morning. Ironically this had nothing to do with his triple bypass heart surgery scheduled for tomorrow. Blessings to you all. I will post arrangements later today.Please pray for God’s Peace, Comfort, Strength, and Love to envelope Thomas and his family in their time of sorrow.
• My friend Kelly has a prayer request. Here is what she wrote:Our little family is going through a tough trial right now. We know we need to have more faith in who our God is than who the enemy is not. We are asking for prayer. Asking that God provides. That He covers us with safety and protection. But most of all that we, especially the girls, can find comfort and peace.Please pray for them, and remember, God’s Peace and Comfort is a wonderful thing.
• Please also pray for the unspoken prayer requests, the ones that need to be prayed, but the person is to nervous to ask for prayers.  Please pray like this:“Heavenly Father, we lift up the unknown prayer requests to you. We know that You know the details, and that we do not need to know them, we know that You hear all the prayers, even the ones that we don’t know how to speak, and we know that You will answer them as Your Will dictates. Please be with those that are hurt, and suffering, and allow Your Peace, Comfort, Strength, and Love to descend upon them so that they would know that You are Lord. It is in the name of Your Wonderful Son Jesus that we pray. Amen!”

Now, please pray with me the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray:

Our Father, who art in Heaven,
Hallowed by thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done,
On earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever and ever.

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