encamped around

"The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,

and he delivers them."

Psalm 34:7

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A year ago God stuck this verse in my mind as I was headed into major surgery, and it was there even as I drifted under anesthesia. The first 24 hours after surgery were spent in ICU and I can remember very little of that time, which my wife tells me is good as it was really rough getting meds to where they were working in balance. One thing that I do remember of that time, is of my pastor comeing and of he, my wife, and the ICU nurse praying for me around my bed. And in their doing that I made the connection back to this verse; that their encircling me with prayer was God giving me a visible reminder of the reality of what the verse was saying. I was being encamped around, both by those physically surrounding me, as well as by a loving God and His holy angels.

The surgery was to remove my thymus gland, with the hopes that this would eventually send the disease I had been struggling with (myasthenia gravis) into remission. A little over a month ago, it began to seem that this was actually going to happen. I was able to start lowering my meds and began to start feeling better, and then a week ago I was able to go off of my meds entirely. While I still notice some symptoms of the disease, it is much better than it has been, and it is wonderful to begin to feel my energy returning.

Thanks to those of you reading this who know me and have been praying for me and my family through this. Especially, thanks to God for carrying us through this, for the lessons he has taught us, and for the comfort in knowing that he will continue to go with us into the future that he has prepared for us.

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"To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

(Jude 25)

a person of prayer

"I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none."

Ezekiel 22:30

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"I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth."

Isaiah 62:6,7

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In reading several of the books by Robert Whitlow recently, what most struck me is some of the powerful people of prayer that he portrays in his stories. That is what I would really like to be. Yet I really hesitate to come out and say that because I know just how far short I continually fall. It is kind of like the prayer in Mark 9:24... "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" Only in this case my prayer is...

Lord,

I want to be somebody that you can use to stand in the gap in prayer. Please do what it takes to mold me into such a person. You know my weaknesses. Help me to be faithful. Help me to recognize your voice and to follow you. Give me a heart after yours.

For Jesus sake, amen