The last several weeks have given Janet and me a unique set of challenges. We are healthy, well mostly, but we both have little physical things that are annoyances and I have been mindful of praying for healing whenever I think of it. But we also have several friends who are dealing with serious issues of their own.
One friend, at 93 years of age, was admitted for evaluation after suffering from brain fog after Covid. He thought he had early stage Alzheimer’s – but that wasn’t the case. However, he has finally given up cutting his own grass, as of last week, and no longer wants the responsibility of maintaining a single family home. Yesterday, his wife entered an elder care facility and by Monday, he will be taking an apartment at the same retirement community. It’s a long awaited chance for more rest but comes with its own set of issues to overcome.
Another friend on our list is a dear soul who was recently diagnosed with ALS. I try to see him every several weeks and he has declined to the point that he can no longer go out for lunch. So, yesterday, for the first time, I brought lunch in to him and we enjoyed a great conversation after twenty years of working together in a coaching relationship. George has become a changed person through serious dedication to self discipline and now, unfortunately, he has been diagnosed with this most horrible disease. Originally, the doctors thought he could live as long as ten years. Yesterday, George said that he is just trying to make it to January 2nd of next year!
The VA has been great to him and from a financial perspective, his wife and the rest of the family will be fine. They lack nothing with all the help they have received from the government and VA. But at the end of the day, George has an expiration date that he believes isn’t too far out there in the future.
On a note even closer to our own home, our beloved Doberman, Hank, has been living with DCM (dilated cardio myopathy), a serious canine heart condition, that has suddenly become worse. He has now progressed to the next stage, congestive heart failure. Hank has lived his best life with us. He had been surrendered twice before he was two years old. We were fortunate to get him from an Illinois Doberman rescue and have had the wherewithal to be able to attend to his numerous medical infirmities. Now, like our dear friend, George, the reality of the situation has become more clearly into focus during the last week.
Another great friend of ours has a pair of dogs she has had since they were young pups – a brother and sister. The girl, Buffy, had a lump on one of her rear legs that turned out to be cancerous. Earlier this week, the doctors performed surgery and were able to remove the growth – but clean margins were difficult to achieve. We won’t know the biopsy results until next week. Probably on Monday when Hank has to go back for another round of tests to get a better idea on what to expect during his next season of life…
I could go on and on – with real life situations for both animals and humans. And all the issues aren’t health related. That is just the tip of the iceberg. Illness, job loss, anxiety, financial challenges and many other issues seem to have surfaced during the last month.
Those of you who have been around for a while know that some of my best conversations with God occur during the watches of the night, as they are referred to in the Bible. Twice in the last seven days, I have been awakened, presumably by God, to spend time in prayer for all the people (and animals) I know who need divine intervention. The very affirming part of this is that it’s been a long time since I have had such divine peace during my petitions to God. That’s when I know that I am in sync with the will of the Father.
Admittedly, I am overly tired after the loss of so much sleep the past week. But those times confessing to the Father and asking for His help are sacred times and spaces that I won’t soon forget. You know what? I had a great conversation with God Tuesday night. And the peace that I experienced during my prayer time was indescribable. Many biblical figures, including David, had intimate conversations with God during the wee morning hours so I am not alone in my communion time with the Father. I’m sure that at least some of you have experienced the same thing.
Our verse for tonight comes from the psalms. In fact, it comes from Psalm 119, the longest psalm in the entire Scripture. In this section of the psalm, the psalmist refers to a variety of topics that lead up to his profession of meeting God in the watches of the night. I love these types of verses because I have my best times with God in the middle of the night as well. The psalmist tells us, in Psalm 119:145-148, “I call with all my heart; answer me, O LORD, and I will obey your decrees. I call out to you; save me and I will keep your statutes. I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word. My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.”
My encouragement this evening is that God waits for our undivided attention and then nudges us in community with Him – usually for the purpose of prayer. My prayer is that we will all be more attentive to those in need and more diligent in our prayer life imploring God to move in the lives of those who call Him ABBA Father. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…