Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Thursday, October 11, 2018
God Answers Prayer
Today several good things happened, and in this world, good things just don't happen very often, nor do so many happen in one day. So I am writing this as a memory. Too easily we forget the good while we hold on to the bad.
This morning started in pain. I have been suffering the last couple of weeks from a back injury that made walking impossible for several days. I crawled across the floor or collapsed over a walker to get to the bathroom. One night I took 8 pills- four types of medicine which had ZERO affect on the pain. That night I screamed out, "I want to die! All while asking God, WHY!?" But in all the pain, I never hated God. I never blamed him for my pain.
Last week I went to a new chiropractor who took at least half of the pain away during the first visit. She recommended a massage to loosen things up, which I had, and that ended up crippling me for two more days. Total regression.
Today I left the chiropractor able to walk, with even an old knee injury 100 percent pain free. I had pain when I bent over and when I lifted things, but when taking it easy, I was able to be alive in relative comfort. One good thing!
On my way home I received a message from my friend who told me to head over to her house and pick out some meat. The timing didn't work out for me to order a hog, so I shopped from her retail freezer at wholesale prices. She was far too generous, and I was sent home with hundreds of pounds of pork. Two good things!
When I got home I told Josh that we were going to need another freezer, which we had talked about getting for years, but could not agree on weather to purchase a chest or an upright. He wanted a chest for efficiency. I wanted an upright for functionality. He told me to get the largest upright we could find in stock, which just happened to be approximately 50 percent off its original price. Three and Four Good Things! (I can't believe I got the freezer I wanted, and wonder if a bummed back didn't help Josh make this decision...)
Josh worked from home this week because the pain had been so debilitating. While I was enjoying freedom from the kids and driving around, I prayed to God and finally asked him to heal my back. (We cannot pray for healing ourselves when we are in immense pain. This is when we rely on the prayers of others, but don't you dare ask someone to pray for you if you aren't willing to pray for yourself!)
This is how it happened: I was praising God because he ANSWERS PRAYER- awe and wonder came over me, and then he reminded me, "You have not because you ask not." So then I asked him to heal my back. I didn't want a chiropractor to fix it or have to go to physical therapy- then my praise would be misplaced. He is able. For crying out loud, my study in Acts this week was about how the name of Jesus healed the lame man. I had been pretty lame!
Later this evening, my children and wonderful husband helped me organize our new freezer in a slightly OCD manner with every label showing, and I did not have to bend over to do it. (Doctor's orders.)
Josh had about an hour's worth of work left to do in the basement since we had to go out of town to get a freezer that was available today, so I hung out with him.
Literally. I hung out on our inversion table. The last two times I used it, I had been temporarily unable to stand up straight (this is an OLD injury, re-aggravated).
When I got off it I was able to stand up, completely straight without ANY pain. In one week my pain had gone from a level 14 on a scale of 1-10 down to a 4 or so to a 0, even when I bent! God answers prayer! Five Good Things.
But now I have to share the most wonderful part of this entire good day- the most wonderful part of being hurt: God answers prayer.
I hopped into bed and checked my email. I had received a reply from a man who is working in Uganda on a five-year project translating the Old and New Testaments into the Ma'di language. I had found their project and offered him my digital files of the New Testament which he was excited to receive.
In the email he asked if there would be any way for me to find a printable copy of the Bible in the Lugbara language. I looked, and I was able to find a digital copy that had been translated in 1966, but was not formatted for print. (Probably the same copy he had been able to find, but not able to use.) To offer a printable format, I will need to do the same sort of transcribing that I did with the Ma'di language, and I can't wait. Six Good Things.
I could not be more excited to partner with his team preparing the Good News in this language.
The Lugbara language is spoken in the same region of Uganda and South Sudan that Ma'di is spoken (think Africa, think Bible translation, think LRA survivors-, God answers prayer, and he answered them in the same order I prayed them). Ma'di is spoken by approximately 320,000 people worldwide. Lugbara is spoken by approximately 2,400,000.
So what did God do here today? For two weeks I suffered through some pretty tough pain, but I never blamed God for it. Today, he took away my pain and opened an opportunity for me to take part in a Bible translation project that will affect a population 7.5 times greater than my first project was able to reach. Seven (point five) Good Things.
Does God test us before He will use us?
I don't know, but this is the only verse that comes to mind as my pain and this day draw to a close:
I haven't dreamed most of my life, but after my visit to the chiropractor on Tuesday this week, I had dreams two nights in a row. Last night I had a dream that my face was on fire. I did not hardly remember this dream, and certainly did not take any meaning from it until now. I have been dealing with ongoing pain that finally reached an intolerable peak, strained and stressful family relationships, and the last days of one of my dog's life, and I have tried to reflect Jesus Christ through it all. Often we wonder if we are doing the right things at all.
I am grateful for this next chapter in my life, and for the fruit that God has allowed me to share. I praise God for what He has done for the Ma'di people, and for what He will do for the Lugbara people. I give Him all the glory and honor, and all the thanks and praise for making this possible. This praise will result in New Testaments being printed that will give the revelation of Jesus Christ to many. Hallelujah. Phil, who asked for a Lugbara Bible says, "I never cease to marvel how our dear Lord finds a place in His garden for all of us to do some work!" I could not agree more.
This morning started in pain. I have been suffering the last couple of weeks from a back injury that made walking impossible for several days. I crawled across the floor or collapsed over a walker to get to the bathroom. One night I took 8 pills- four types of medicine which had ZERO affect on the pain. That night I screamed out, "I want to die! All while asking God, WHY!?" But in all the pain, I never hated God. I never blamed him for my pain.
Last week I went to a new chiropractor who took at least half of the pain away during the first visit. She recommended a massage to loosen things up, which I had, and that ended up crippling me for two more days. Total regression.
Today I left the chiropractor able to walk, with even an old knee injury 100 percent pain free. I had pain when I bent over and when I lifted things, but when taking it easy, I was able to be alive in relative comfort. One good thing!
On my way home I received a message from my friend who told me to head over to her house and pick out some meat. The timing didn't work out for me to order a hog, so I shopped from her retail freezer at wholesale prices. She was far too generous, and I was sent home with hundreds of pounds of pork. Two good things!
When I got home I told Josh that we were going to need another freezer, which we had talked about getting for years, but could not agree on weather to purchase a chest or an upright. He wanted a chest for efficiency. I wanted an upright for functionality. He told me to get the largest upright we could find in stock, which just happened to be approximately 50 percent off its original price. Three and Four Good Things! (I can't believe I got the freezer I wanted, and wonder if a bummed back didn't help Josh make this decision...)
Josh worked from home this week because the pain had been so debilitating. While I was enjoying freedom from the kids and driving around, I prayed to God and finally asked him to heal my back. (We cannot pray for healing ourselves when we are in immense pain. This is when we rely on the prayers of others, but don't you dare ask someone to pray for you if you aren't willing to pray for yourself!)
This is how it happened: I was praising God because he ANSWERS PRAYER- awe and wonder came over me, and then he reminded me, "You have not because you ask not." So then I asked him to heal my back. I didn't want a chiropractor to fix it or have to go to physical therapy- then my praise would be misplaced. He is able. For crying out loud, my study in Acts this week was about how the name of Jesus healed the lame man. I had been pretty lame!
Later this evening, my children and wonderful husband helped me organize our new freezer in a slightly OCD manner with every label showing, and I did not have to bend over to do it. (Doctor's orders.)
Josh had about an hour's worth of work left to do in the basement since we had to go out of town to get a freezer that was available today, so I hung out with him.
Literally. I hung out on our inversion table. The last two times I used it, I had been temporarily unable to stand up straight (this is an OLD injury, re-aggravated).
When I got off it I was able to stand up, completely straight without ANY pain. In one week my pain had gone from a level 14 on a scale of 1-10 down to a 4 or so to a 0, even when I bent! God answers prayer! Five Good Things.
But now I have to share the most wonderful part of this entire good day- the most wonderful part of being hurt: God answers prayer.
I hopped into bed and checked my email. I had received a reply from a man who is working in Uganda on a five-year project translating the Old and New Testaments into the Ma'di language. I had found their project and offered him my digital files of the New Testament which he was excited to receive.
In the email he asked if there would be any way for me to find a printable copy of the Bible in the Lugbara language. I looked, and I was able to find a digital copy that had been translated in 1966, but was not formatted for print. (Probably the same copy he had been able to find, but not able to use.) To offer a printable format, I will need to do the same sort of transcribing that I did with the Ma'di language, and I can't wait. Six Good Things.
I could not be more excited to partner with his team preparing the Good News in this language.
The Lugbara language is spoken in the same region of Uganda and South Sudan that Ma'di is spoken (think Africa, think Bible translation, think LRA survivors-, God answers prayer, and he answered them in the same order I prayed them). Ma'di is spoken by approximately 320,000 people worldwide. Lugbara is spoken by approximately 2,400,000.
So what did God do here today? For two weeks I suffered through some pretty tough pain, but I never blamed God for it. Today, he took away my pain and opened an opportunity for me to take part in a Bible translation project that will affect a population 7.5 times greater than my first project was able to reach. Seven (point five) Good Things.
Does God test us before He will use us?
I don't know, but this is the only verse that comes to mind as my pain and this day draw to a close:
"In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith- more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."
1 Peter 1:6-7 (ESV)
I haven't dreamed most of my life, but after my visit to the chiropractor on Tuesday this week, I had dreams two nights in a row. Last night I had a dream that my face was on fire. I did not hardly remember this dream, and certainly did not take any meaning from it until now. I have been dealing with ongoing pain that finally reached an intolerable peak, strained and stressful family relationships, and the last days of one of my dog's life, and I have tried to reflect Jesus Christ through it all. Often we wonder if we are doing the right things at all.
"You will recognize them by their fruits."
Matthew 7:16
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