December 20, 2006
Hebrews 11: 13-16 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on the earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had the opportunity to return. Instead, they were looking for a better country- a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
Hebrews 11: 39-40 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us they would be made perfect.
I have never claimed to understand why things happen the way they do, except to believe that God has a plan. When you are facing adversity, sometimes that is not an easy explanation to grasp. We want so much to fix the problem, rather than to have the faith that God will fix the areas that need fixing. He does not do it on His own, but together with us. We need to be willing to receive what He has in order for His plan to be made perfect for us. My heart hurts everyday that Jeff is not with us. We both believed in his healing. I did not know what else God wanted from me. I had more faith in God's ability to raise Jeff up than any other time in my life. It burdened my heart, it consumed all my thoughts. I prayed continuously for him. This passage in Hebrews really spoke to me. God has promised that He will never leave us. He died on the cross for us. He gave His life. He could have stopped it, He could have called the angels and He could have saved himself. But He knew that He had to do His part in order for the plan to be made perfect. Even though we did not receive the healing that we had anticipated for Jeff, the part of Jeff that needed to remain intact did just that. Jeff was still living in faith when he died. He did not receive the things promised, but saw them and welcomed them from a distance. He knew that this earth was not his home, and desired to see his heavenly home. God prepared a place for him, and because of Jeff's faith, God's plan was made perfect.
I recently learned of a woman who is related to someone my husband works with that was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. I do not know all of the details, but I know it is not the same kind as Jeff's. My heart just goes out to her and to her family. I know what it feels like to go through it personally, and also watch someone I loved go through it. It makes me so sad when I know of other people that are hurting. God has put her on my heart, just like He did Jeff. I have never met her, never seen her, and I don't know what God has planned, except that He does have a plan. Please keep this woman in your prayers. I pray that her holidays are happy and that there will be healing for her in the new year.
I have decided to include a link on the website to add a community prayer chain. If you have a request that you would like to be made known to have people check and pray for, email me and I would be happy to include it on the list. God calls us to pray, even Jesus prayed...