Today my had a heart cath, and subsequently needed a stent as well. He hasn't felt well for the past several weeks, and despite a negative Echo and stress test, it was decided to go ahead and "take a look" because of his extensive heart history. So in they went this morning for the cath. Apparently there was some scar tissue in or around the last bypass graft that was done 5 years ago. This is the second time that the bypass has had to be stented!!
There was a lot of waiting... The doctor who performed the cath couldn't do the stent, so they had to wait for another doctor who was tied up in another emergency. After the the procedure was completed, Dad then developed some chest pain, which Mom was told is not uncommon, but he will be staying the night at UTMC in Toledo and hopefully be home tomorrow.
The last few weeks God has blessed us with more opportunities than usual to pray for many friends and family members who have been ill or going through trials. And I really do mean that it IS and has been a blessing and a privilege to pray!! For SO many reasons!! Answered prayer would pop to mind as the best result of praying for someone else, but what if during some intimate moments with God when our hearts are open He shows us more than we asked for, and not all of it is pleasant. It seems that when you get serious about asking God to reveal to you the desires of HIS heart that the first thing He does is show you the condition of your own.
About a month ago I started going through a study on Acts by Terry Tekyl. This particular study focuses on prayer to invite the Holy Spirit and pray effectively, both corporately as a church body but also in our own personal prayer life. Wouldn't you know that starting a study like that would open mass opportunities!? :) Thank you, Jesus....
I have to share this one excerpt that really made me think about what "compassion" is and how true compassion for those around us motivates us to pray, especially for those who don't know Him and are hurting:
"For God so loved the world He gave His only son" (John 3:16) To have a passion for evangelism is to care enough about the souls of those we meet that we will go to any length to see that they are secured for eternity. We reach out to people because we love, and we love because He first loved us. Love is the driving force. The first thing the Spirit does in us when we begin to pray is to put the compassion of Jesus in our hearts for those outside the church who are hurting, confused and unlovable.
As the disciples watched Jesus be whipped and crucified, I am sure that the unjust brutality to the one they loved did not inspire in them warm thought of friendship or compassion for His executioners. But think about this: days later in the Upper Room, something was shed abroad in their hearts that enabled and even motivated them to go out in love and share the good news of the Gospel in enemy territory. Based on their own feelings, they probably would rather have retaliated! But as God poured out His Spirit on them, His divine COMPASSION superceded their own desires, and they responded as Christ would."
I'm so grateful for opportunities to pray for you! If you have a need for prayer, if you are hurting or lost or despairing or ill or have a friend or family member in need, please let me know and I will pray for you. For those of you on Facebook, you can send me a message with your prayer requests, or you can email me at :
sheila_911@hotmail.com
Blessings!!
Sheila
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