Healed

I want to continue this theme of celebration today as we pause for praise together. When and how we have seen God work in our lives, we can be motivated to give Him the credit, to acknowledge what He has done, and to give Him thanks. Psalm 29 says:

(1) Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, Give unto the Lord glory and strength.
2 Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Sometimes those instances of God's hand can be incredibly apparent, even miraculous.  At other times, we can know that God has worked, but it is more subtle and we have to think perhaps how He has arranged circumstances or ordained a seemingly "chance" meeting or occurrence, that, upon further review, we can see that God has been in evidence.  When we experience those "God moments," we can be swift to give Him credit and praise, expressing our appreciation, which can contribute to growing in gratefulness.

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Today, I want to continue to provide some encouragement about our call to celebrate, as we look for and acknowledge the hand of God. 1st Thessalonians 5 says this:
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray without ceasing,
18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

So many women have been blessed by the ministry of Proverbs 31, and that ministry's founder, Lysa TerKeurst, is certainly praising God these days.

According to a story on the Christian Today website,  Lysa was in the process of treatment for colon cancer; in fact, half of her colon had to be removed.  But, according to the article, quoting her Facebook page, she wrote, "Thank you for praying for me...The surgeon that removed half of my colon that had twisted and distended to the size of a large football called me on Friday to tell me there was no sign of cancer in the pathology report. Praise God."

But what the surgeon then told her left an even deeper impact. He said, "Lysa, I don't like throwing around the word miracle. But the fact you survived this is a miracle. The pathology report showed your cells were in a state of death..."

The article states that, "She says that as a result of her experience with cancer, she has come to the 'sacred realisation' [sic] that each day is a gift from God."

There are several thoughts that I had regarding this wonderful story.  One of those is that life is a gift. God is the One who has given us life, He has breathed into us the breath of life, and He desires for us to live in Him and abide in His presence.  We can be thankful for the very lives and opportunities that we have.  And, likewise, tomorrow is not promised.  The Scriptures teach us that life is a vapor, and we can seek to maximize each day, recognizing that our Maker has wired us to live in fellowship with and in obedience to Him.

Lysa TerKeurst is certainly thankful these days for what the doctor described as a miracle.  It simply cannot be explained except as an act of God.  Another principle is: Give God the praise when we see Him show up!  There may be miracles, large and small, that we encounter, and God wants us to come before Him and give Him the praise.  As we display a thankful attitude, it changes our countenance and testifies to the world about the Lordship of Jesus.

We can also be challenged to be attentive to His presence.  We can be sensitive to encounters involving the intersection of our lives with the life of Christ and the operation of His Spirit.  When we see Him show up, we praise Him - when we sense that He is leading us, we obey Him.

Finally, we can be motivated to pray in confidence and expectation.  Remember that Ephesians 3 tells us that God is able to do far greater than we can ask or think.  We can stand on His promises and reach out in faith to see amazing answers - for ourselves and for the people for whom we pray!