Friday, May 29, 2009

Isaiah 25

I have been reading through the book of Isaiah (something I attempted once before but without the proper tools, I gave up only a few chapters into the book). I would strongly recommend reading this after finding a copy of the commentary on Isaiah by Ray Ortlund. He makes a theologically dense book very applicable and easy to understand. God has taught me so much and I'm not even half-way through the study.

Chapter 25 is a great encouragement when life seems overwhelmingly hard. Upon reading the first five verses I could think of nothing else but the glorious things that God has done and how He stands high above all earthly powers. The world can often take over our thoughts so that we feel defeated and frustrated. The events in our life can pile up and seem unsurmountable...but even in these times, we can choose to exalt God and praise His name. Even in these times, God's plans are being carried out and we can trust Him to be faithful and sure. In difficult times God is a stronghold and a shelter. But God's plans do not end with the power and strength He can give us while we are on earth...

In verse 6, Isaiah goes on to say that the Lord will make a feast for us in heaven. We will receive every wonderful thing and there will be absolutely no disappointment. Everyone at this banquet will be happy and nothing will ever make them sad again. Verse 8 says that "He will swallow up death forever and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces". We will never again have to experience the pain left behind when someone we love dies, we never again will have to shed another tear over those we have lost. I know people who long for the day that Jesus returns more than I do. I have not experienced death as closely or deeply as others...I have not held a child after she has drawn her last breath, I have not stood by my spouse's casket with tears on my cheeks...but because of Jesus Christ these pains will be removed one day and not another tear will be shed because of them.

And finally, verse 9 says, "It will be said on that day 'Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation'. As we think upon the day of the Lord's return, may we always be glad and rejoice in the salvation that He has given to us. I tend to let the tiny frustrations of my day steal my joy...I often forget that if I had nothing but my salvation that should truly be enough because I don't even deserve that.

I pray that Isaiah 25 will remind me today of the power that God has on earth, the joy that is waiting for me in heaven, and the wonderful gift of salvation that God has given me.

3 weeks after Mia's surgery...God is amazing

I am doubling up on blog posts today because I realized that three weeks ago from this very moment we were waiting for Mia to go into surgery. I am amazed at how quickly she has returned to her normal routine and activities. She is now dancing and running and playing even better than she was before the surgery.

I am amazed at the work of the Lord leading up to Mia's surgery. She was born with a birth defect of her spine and was diagnosed at 3 months with tethered cord. God had us in the right place at the right time. She was born at a large hospital in Louisville, KY...I strongly believe that if she had been born at a smaller hospital in a smaller city they would not have caught her condition. When she was 5 months old we moved back to Ohio, so her pediatrician in Louisville referred us to Cincinnati Children's Hospital where we eventually met up with Dr. Mangano who is one of the top doctors in the state of Ohio for dealing with tethered cord. We saw God's hand working even down to the last appointment she had before her surgery. Dr. Mangano actually looked Mia over and told us we could wait a few months to see what would happen...but after he finally was able to get ahold of the urologist she had been seeing, he sent a nurse out to find us to inform us that he would strongly recommend surgery. We signed all the papers and were later given a date for the procedure. Only weeks after this appointment, I noticed Mia's feet starting to turn in...a sign that her mobility was starting to be affected. Had she missed this appointment or if any information had not reached the neurosurgeon in time, she could have had the surgery months later and we could have seen much more drastic and permanent affects.

I was amazed at the work of the Lord during Mia's surgery and hospital stay. We had so many people praying for us and keeping up with her progress on facebook. We could tangibly see the love of our Christian brothers and sisters. The surgery went well--no complications and it even went by a lot faster than we thought it would. God gave David and I such a peace as we waited for our little girl to come out of the operating room. God even saw fit to give Mia a fabulous nurse who went above and beyond what was expected of her...she did her job and truly showed interest in our lives and showed such love and care for our baby. Mia even got to go home sooner than we had expected because she was doing so well. It was an exhausting and trying experience but God brought us through it.

I am continually amazed at the work of the Lord now that Mia's surgery is over. When I look at my little girl I am reminded of the grace that God showed to us. I think about how bad her condition could have been...I've spoke to people who have children who are permanently disabled because of the same condition that wasn't found early enough and I've read of numerous people who will have a lifetime of catheterizations and surgeries. We are not completely sure that Mia won't have any more problems because of this...but I'm truly amazed at the grace of God and what he spared us from. But besides what God spared us from, I am truly amazed at what God has taught me. I learned to trust God's sovereignty more, to pray harder and the importance of memorizing scripture. I found deeper truths in His Word and learned more about helping those who are suffering.

I can't believe it was only three weeks ago! God has done so much since then and continues to work in the life of our little Mia! Praise God for His amazing work in her life!