Hello everyone, and welcome to this week’s prayers for the week post.  We have concluded our series on the Fruits of the Spirit, I hope you enjoyed digging into them a little more closely, and today, I felt led to talk with you about a reminder that God has put on me this week. The image is, of course, of the eclipse we experienced last week.  I’m sharing this image because of the reminder that God is in charge of all of this, and that He made the sun, the moon, and all the stars, and that He caused it to line up like it did for His Glory.

For many of us, often it feels like nothing can go right; either the business is to slow, or perhaps someone is sick and has been, or maybe it isn’t anything specific at all, just a feeling like you are never going to get ahead of this game we call life. Whatever your situation is, I want to share with you some words of comfort directly from God Himself:

¹⁴ I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them. ~ Psalm 139:14-16 (ESV)

For Cindy and I, the first verse has so much meaning.  Our daughter, Sophie, is on the Autism Spectrum, although if you were to talk with her I suggest you may not have ever known it.  She has Aspergers Syndrome, and has learned over the years how to overcome that social awkwardness to the point that she is an incredible young woman. When Cindy and I first learned of her Aspergers, I’ve got to tell you, it felt like a punch in the gut.  But as we learned more, and as we cried a bit, and came to grips with it, God reminded us of these verses, especially verse 14, and over time, we saw the positives of what that means.  The world often looks down on kids like Sophie, thinking that they are to be exploited, taken advantage of, or something along those lines.  Heck, in Iceland they see abortion as a means to end Downs Syndrome in their children, rather than seeing the pure joy and unconditional love a child with Downs Syndrome has for everyone they encounter. So, as parents, at first we saw Sophie’s diagnosis as a negative because that is what the world expected us to see. Over time, though, we have realized just how wrong we were. Cindy and I believe that one of Sophie’s best, most enduring qualities is her empathy towards other people.  Sophie is in tune with how others are feeling, often far more quickly than anyone around her, and has a knack for knowing exactly what to say to make that person feel immediately better. Both Cindy and I believe that her empathy is a direct result of her Aspergers.

That is just one example how fearfully and wonderfully made Sophie is.  My prayer for all of you is that regardless of what you are going through, regardless of how small you feel yourself to be, that you would read those verses and remember that God made you exactly the way you were meant to be made: fearfully and wonderfully made. Now, please continue reading and join in our prayer requests and praises.  We have some very heavy prayer requests, my friends, and they need all the prayers they can receive.  Thank you for praying for them.

Prayer Requests & Praises

• Please pray for two close friends of mine who are facing medical issues. God knows all the details, thanks everyone!
• Please continue praying for Shannan’s friend Darleen: Darleen had to go back to the ER this week. She’s now on antibiotics for a wound infection. She just can’t seem to get a leg up on healing. Please continue your prayers for her. I also found out she’s had no insurance through this entire ordeal. That’s one reason she was unable to go to a rehab facility following the the surgeries.
• Jodi reminds us to keep praying for those in the path of Hurricane Harvey: Also, keep everyone in the path of Hurricane Harvey in prayer!
• Please pray for the families of those affected by the hurricane, and for the family of the ones that have lost their lives because of the storm.
• We continue our prayers for Daniel.  Here’s the latest update from his wife Amanda: UPDATED: We went to the oncologist today. Daniel’s bilirubin went from 24 to 26 which is basically no change. His other labs are good or slightly high but nothing to be alarmed about. He gained 10 pounds – probably from the hydration – and his potassium is out of the critical range. We didn’t move forward but we didn’t move back and we cleared the potassium hurdle for now. So we succeeded in keeping his liver functioning to give the Herceptin another week to work. We go for a second dose on 9/8 and will hopefully start to see some slight improvement.
  Thank you for your prayers and please keep them coming! They are working – I know they are!
• Please pray for my Aunt Rita. This is from my dad: Talked to my kid sister Rita today. Her spirit is good, she has a fractured lumbar vertebra and kidney stones to deal with. “I won’t give up!” she assured me. She’s with loving daughter and other family members.
• My friend Kerry has a prayer request for her dog: I usually don’t post or ask for prayers on FB but at this time we need all of the prayers possible. Yesterday my beloved Buddy was diagnosed with a “mass cell” which the vet upon initial biopsy feels is a cancer. It does not look promising. He is scheduled for surgery next week to remove the mass and to further biopsy the mass. Hopefully things will go well and he will be back to making us laugh and snuggling with us. Buddy has been part of our family for over ten years and the joy and happiness he has given us is beyond what can be put into words. I am sure all of you who know me understand how heartbreaking this news was to receive. We are very optimistic and are hoping and praying for the best possible outcome. For those of you who know our little guy personally… Say a little prayer for him. I can’t imagine life without him.
• Please pray for Sarah F. No details, God knows all we need to know. Thanks everyone!
• Please pray for my cousin Barb’s husband Tim: Tomorrow I take Tim for screening tests to see if he is eligible for a clinical trial (ABBV-085). He’ll have a CT, an EKG, a physical and blood work. Please pray that every thing comes back good, and that he can start treatment ASAP! If he’s cleared for the trial, I’ll be back for prayers that it works to hold his cancer at bay. #CancerSucks
• Jodi has a prayer request for her husband Richard: Please pray for my husband, Richard, this morning. One of his crowns fell out the other day, and it looks like the peg it attaches to broke. Has 9:00 dentist appt. Please pray it’s an inexpensive and easy fix (or is totally covered by insurance), as our finances are very limited right now. He also has severe anxiety disorder, and this has jacked up his anxiety level as well, because he’s worried it’s going to be a major procedure like it was when he first got it. Thanks!
  UPDATE: It is going to require a whole procedure to remove & replace post & put in new crown. He is very disheartened about it, and even though insurance helps, it’s still a big hit to the wallet.
  Triple to quadruple cost estimate we were given yesterday, and that’s what Richard’s dental procedure is going to cost (after insurance). OUCH. Have to remove existing post and reinforce bone it’s attached to.
  Getting him started right now & will take 2-3 hours. Will have temp crown for about 3 months. Please continue prayers! Thank you!
• Please pray for my friend Amy, who is about to undertake a move soon.  Please pray that everything goes perfectly for her and her family!
• Lastly, we remember to pray for those that are lost, those that don’t know what to pray, those that don’t know how to pray, and those that in authority.

Now, please close with us by praying the prayer that Jesus taught His Disciples and us to pray:

Our Father, who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be 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 that trespass against us.

Lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the Kingdom, and Power, and Glory
Forever and ever. Amen.