This week I was so comforted again by Psalm 23, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. What a great and precious promise that is. Notice how it says, the valley of the shadow of death. Indeed if Jesus is our Shepherd we need not fear death, it is only the shadow of death and we will pass from this earthly life into Eternal Glory.
Our Christian courses, as those of Jesus and of David, may traverse dark valleys, valleys of depression, valleys of fear, yes even "valleys of the shadow of death."It is at times like these that I feel the strength of the words of Psalm 23, "I will fear no evil for thou art with me: Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me." I am able to walk through this valley of the shadow of death with peace. Why? Because the LORD is my shepherd and His rod and staff will guide me and bring me comfort even during the most difficult journey and most blessed time in my life.
Who is your Shepherd?
This week I visited the Radiation Oncologist. I already received the results of the bone scan last Friday, more cancer was found in the left side of the Pelvis. When I arrived for my first Radiation treatment on Wednesday I was met by a nurse whom I met back in December when I received radiation treatments for my spine. At that time she told me her name, a Biblical name. I asked her at that time if she knew the meaning of her name. She said, “No I don’t.” On my next visit I brought her a Bible with a highlighted passage where her name was mentioned. However, she was sick that day, so I left the Bible with another nurse who promised that she would pass it on. On Wednesday the first thing the recipient of the Bible did was thank me for it, and showed me where she kept it, on the shelf at the nurses station. She said, “I put it there so all other nurses can read it too.” She never owned a Bible but she told me her Grandmother had one. Please join us in prayer that this Bible will be used for the salvation of many. Nobody is outside the reach of God, nobody!
For the next 4 days I will be visiting the Cancer Radiation centre. Even that is a blessing and an answer to prayer.
On Thursday I received notice from the Cancer Research Centre that a sample of my tumor that was removed in 2011 was sent away for testing. If a certain protein is found to be present things will move forward to get me ready for oral Chemotherapy treatments. If the protein is not present another Chemo trial is being worked on, this one is administered by IV. I can leave it all with God with a quiet heart because I know that He makes no mistakes, even through the deepest valleys God is there. Because I am receiving Radiation treatments I will have a waitng period of 4 weeks before I can start any Chemo treatments.
Please pray for Henrietta that God will give her continued strength as she is the only one who can care for her 92 year old mother who resides in a local rest home and who is struggling with her health in the last weeks and appears to slowly lose ground. In consideration of my own condition we have now been forbidden by doctors to visit her due to her highly contagious condition. It makes it even harder not being able to visit her now that she is so sick.
Thank you for your prayers. Pray to be a blessing to others and others a blessing to you.
John.
Grace is God giving us what we do
not deserve and mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve.
Author
unknown
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.
His love has no limits, His grace
has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
ReplyDeleteThere is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
Refrain
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Refrain
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Refrain
PRAYING FOR YOU ALL!
Love Henry and Jenny
Amen... Dear John and Henrietta, you are on our minds very often and in our prayers daily... Thank you for your regular updates as they show so much of Gods grace upholding you.
ReplyDeleteBlessings, John and Henrietta. I was just preparing for VBS in Mexico in two weeks. I am doing the story of Jesus as the Good Shepherd of the lost sheep. I was just trying to decide how to start the story. I have it now "Who is your Shepherd?" Thank-you! Have a good Sunday.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteDear John & Henrietta:
Our thoughts and prayers are with you as always.
How true it is as you experience it in your daily walk with the Lord:
He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.
As humans we think we have left our burden surrendering it to the Lord in prayer. But when we get up off our knees we seem to pick up that burden again and continue struggling with it rather than leave our burden at the foot of the cross with Jesus.
God tells us to cast our burden on Him for he cares for us and you experience yourself that this is the best and only place to bring it and leave it there with Him, since He is our Guide and Burden bearer.
Yet, we struggle in so many ways. We think of our loved ones. We think of our relationships with the family of God and our neighbours. We think of our responsibilities…. etc.
It would be so much easier if we could speak to God face to face like Moses and He would answer us directly. But in the here and now it is clear that we walk by faith and not by sight. We are not yet where we will see Jesus face to face and where all our questions and doubts will be fully answered.
So in the meantime we walk by faith – a faith that is tested and tried in our daily walk of life with the Lord. And so we walk with God and we talk with God and tell Him all that is on our heart and mind –He already knows, but walking by faith means confiding in Him and telling Him all that is on our mind and in our heart. It is this way that we have fellowship with Him. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3).
17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:17
Our walk of faith also includes our perseverance – do not give up when the load seems heavy or the way tedious. He continues to supply our every need (not our wants) from day to day.
We rejoice to see the continued joy of the Lord in your heart as this is evidence of the reality of a faith that is tested and tried.
1 John 2
24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life.
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand
Love
Gerrit & Connie