Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they should pray over him after anointing him with olive oil in the name of the Lord (James 5:13-14, HCSB).As I reflect on a full and varied week, these words, a commentary on the James passage above, linger in my heart:
If we're willing, God is our song when we are happy, our escape when we are tempted, our hope when we're despairing, our joy in tribulation, our strength in weakness, and our immortality in dying. Ultimately, He Himself is our health (Beth Moore, Mercy Triumphs, 176).Whatever the week ahead holds for us, may the Lord give us grace to seek and find all we need in Him. He is so good! Let's thank Him, for His steadfast love truly does endure forever and cover every circumstance we face.
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| Photo Credit: AJM |
Thanking Him today for
~the sufficiency of the Lord for all kinds of days
~the victory of Christ over every enemy we face
~last planned surgeries for a friend's cancer journey proving successful
~discovery of Lotsa Helping Hands community interface for coordinating caregiving (e.g., meal delivery and other chores) for those in seasons of trial
~quiet morning in park and library to refill
~a much-needed week off work for Allen
~sending out Easter cards to overseas workers
~Dr. Ben Carson's story of family, faith, and overcoming hardship
~husband alongside to tell me when it was all clear to look again during the surgery scenes
~layers (birthday cake and clothing)
~four inches of rain on the first day of spring
~raindrops on roses
~getting all the paperwork signed, after several false starts, for a transfer of medical records
~visiting a doctor today who's known me at least 15 years and whom I like as well as respect
~her vigilance in monitoring bone health so we can start aggressive osteoporosis prevention as soon as we need to
~God's sovereignty over my lab work
~the God-glorifying music of Johann Sebastian Bach, whose birthday our classical radio station celebrated last week
~the entire, amazing Goldberg Variations, recorded by Glenn Gould
~first duckling sighted at the pond
~hearing the Lord's voice in His Word
~the amazing way the portion of Scripture on the reading plan or in the Bible study matches up with my need
~freedom to confess my sins to Him without fear of condemnation because of the atoning sacrifice of Christ my Savior
~plans to see my strong, beautiful grandmother by week's end
~an excellent, challenging sermon from our interim pastor yesterday morning
from the gratitude journal, 5248-5271
