Pray Without Ceasing

Firstly apologies for the lack of the blog last week. I wasn't aware it hadn't posted until someone mentioned it today that last weeks blog hadn't appeared. Well as the Guiness advert said, "Good things come to those who wait." So with that you can wait until next week.



Until Next Week

Rob






Just Joking!


"O my strength, I sing praise to You; You, O God, are my fortress, my loving God."

If you remember in a previous blog I spoke about how Mike Macpherson gave his testimony about how we shouldn't wait for something bad to happen before we make right with God. Well that week, those words saw fruition. Last Monday, I had dinner with Ryan and Reece, the management couple at Rehoboth. Tuesdsay morning, when speaking to Reece she said she felt so ill. She had pain in her side and asked me to look after her daughter so she could sleep. She went to the doctor during the day and was told that her gall bladder was inflamed. She got pills to take but had to go back last friday to have a check up. By friday she felt fine so thought that whatver had happened had worked. It hadn't. She was told she'd have to have an operation on Tuesday this week. I went to see her 6am tuesday morning as I was watching her kids. She was nervous but knew it was just a routine op and she'd be home by wednesday night. the whole day dragged badly. Time went so slowly. At 5pm I got a message from reece saying if she knew it would be this painful she would have chickened out. It put me at ease a bit as I thought she was out and just recovering. At 7.50pm we got told that Reece had been rushed back into theatre as they had found internal bleeding and her blood pressure had sunk big time. It was then I remembered Mac's words. I then prayed like there was no tomorrow. I have never prayed so much in my life. I was with Lindsay and Sophie and just prayed and prayed. Thankfully, we got told at 10 oclock that she was out and in ICU. We went to see her yesterday and she was in so much pain. But today she is in the surgical ward but is doing so much better.

Isn't it wierd that when things go ok, God is so far away, but when something goes bad, God's the first person we blame. I am number one culprit. As it was a routine op, I didn't pray nearly as much as i should have then tried to barter a deal when things went badly.

"Don't wait for something bad to happen, to make right with God." Mike Macpherson.

And to top it off, the topic of my devotions this morning - Pray without ceasing!

Until Next Week, technical problems permitting!

Rob

And last but certainly not least. Thank you so much for all your prayers and thoughts. It seems I am better and am 100% totally safe if only 10% sound. Thank you so much for your messages and everything. It makes things much easier to get through.

God Bless

Plans Can Be Changed

Firstly I would like to apologise for the lack of a blog last week. I have been ill for 12 days now and finally went to see the doctor this morning. He told me that I had a swollen liver and that I had hepatitis. So he took my blood and sent it to the lab for testing. Not being a medical man, ( i used to think haemoglobin was a monster under my bed) I asked what would happen. He said that if my enzyme count came back and it was very high then I would have a viral hepatitis, but if my enzyme count is low then I would have just hepatitis. So that is why I was unable to write my blog last week.

For those of you reading this blog in Holland, Prudhoe, South Africa or Blaydon you may know the name Mike Macpherson. For those of you who don't know his name you will by the end of this blog.

In June last year, Mac was told he had lung cancer. In January this year Mac was told there was nothing to be done for him. He lay in a hospital bed basically waiting to die. Doctors didn't think he'd see out the week. He was basically told to sort things out because all the drugs were doing was prolonging what life he had left.

Last wednesday Mac went to the doctors again, to be told that from having both lungs full of the cancer, the left lung had almost completely cleared and the tumour had shrunk from 6cm to 4cm.

From being a man ready to die weeks before, he is now a man with hope, a chance of life. And it is all down to God.

Mac gave his testimony at church on Sunday. I sat there feeling horrendous, with tears filling up my eyes at the amazing testimony this fantastic young man had become. He knew he wasn't meant to be here. He knew he should be dead, but as he said, "God had other plans."

He spoke with conviction, love, awe and wonder at what God had done. His words can galvanise. His words can touch those having rough times. His words can change lives. Or should I say God's words through him can change lives.

From being a man ready to die, God has given him another chance. What an awesome God we serve.

And as Mac said on Sunday, don't let something like cancer shake you into getting right with God, walk close to God, so when bad things happen you have the best coping mechanism.

Let us never forget the gift of life. Let us never forget who we should give glory to when things goes well and who we should find solace in when things go bad.

Until Next Week.

Rob