Through thick and thin my umbrella stands
More faithful and reliable than the one
Who hires me and claims to be family and a friend
Who decides my livelihood, when it begins and ends
Who stands with me
When I am going through tough times?
Not my boss, nor my supervisor
But the one who cannot talk
The one who braves the storm to shelter me
Through showers of cats and dogs
Who never complains or seeks reward
But shields and protects me when I’m in need
Thank God for umbrellas!
The last few days have been trying times, with my sis-in-law hospitalized for brain tumor, diagnozed to be 80-90% likelihood of malignancy, and with my brother and his son in a state of devastation.
Without surgery, the doctor says it will be about 3-6 months, and with surgery 1-3 years. Yesterday, the surgery went through as 'successfully' removing the tumor and she is now in ICU. The surgeon did not wish to comment whether it is benign or malignant till the test result of the tumor is out, which will be around this Thursday, January 15 2009.
I have been praying for the family alongside with some online Christian community friends at FaithWriters.com. May God comfort this family.
Dear Lord, be merciful to this family! Help them stay strong in the face of desperate times. Lead them Lord to you and help them recognize the urgent need for salvation. Show me Lord how I can help and what I must do. Lead me by Your Holy Spirit to know the right time to say the right thing without giving false hopes nor lacking confidence in the Lord.
Many things happen in our lives and many more will continue to happen. Sometimes it can be difficult going through hard times, and sometimes we may not understand why, but one thing is sure, all things work together for good, according to God's purpose in our lives (Romans 8:28).
If you ask God to answer a need, you can be sure He will answer your prayer, but sometimes the answer can be immediate, sometimes longer, or sometimes you may have to go through it. All prayers are answered, whether now or later, yes or no. All you need to do is trust Him and give your heart to Him (Proverbs 3:5-6). Lay your worries and troubles at His feet and worry no more, for God is with you, He will help you and take care of you (Isaiah 41:10).
Therefore ...
'Do not fear, for I (God) am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' (Isaiah 41:10 NAS)
Remember what Jesus says ...
... ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (Luke 11:9 NAS)
Sometimes ...
You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, (James 4:2b-3a NAS)
Therefore ...
... seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33 NAS)
Do not worry then, saying, `What will we eat?' or `What will we drink?' or `What will we wear for clothing?' ... for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. (Matthew 6:31-32 NAS)
So ...
... do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34 NAS)
