An Opportunity

Never make a declaration of belief without being willing to prove it!  On Saturday I wondered outloud if I am responding in the same way Mary did to what the Lord presents me.  And here today I have the opportunity to choose my response.  Today's doctor's appointment as you may have read in my last posting gives me a chance to worry or to trust the Lord, complain or give thanks...  What shall I choose?

I'm grateful to the Lord for the reminder that I have a choice. "I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse.  So choose life in order that you may live." (Deuteronomy 30:19)  I can choose my attitude, my outlook just like the Israelites had a choice to obey the Lord or not.  Shall I obey by thinking about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy(Philippians 4:8)?  Shall I take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5)?

I love how the Lord's words to me this afternoon were so appropriate after hearing the bad news about Kirsten's ears. I felt discouraged this morning and this afternoon I read from Isaiah 45.... It's where Josh had randomly put my book mark in my Bible last night. 

But Israel will be saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation;
you will never be put to shame or disgraced, to ages everlasting.

For this is what the Lord says--
he who created the heavens, he is God;
he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited--
he says:
"I am the Lord and there is no other.
I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness;
I have not said to Jacob's descendants, `Seek me in vain.'
I, the Lord, speak the truth; I declare what is right.

"Gather together and come; assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save.
Declare what is to be, present it-- let them take counsel together.
Who foretold this long ago,
who declared it from the distant past?
Was it not I, the Lord?
and there is no God apart from me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
there is none but me.

"Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth;
for I am God, and there is no other.
By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked:
Before me every knee will bow;
by me every tongue will swear.
They will say of me, `In the Lord alone are righteousness and strength.'"

I love these words from our Lord.  He is God.  There is no other. Only he can heal my sweet Kirsten. 

So I shall pray for Kirsten's healing and trust that our Great Physician will heal her ears completely.

But even if he chooses not to... even if she needs this surgery, I will declare as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did to the king who wanted them to bow before his idol, the God I serve is able to heal Kirsten but even if he does not, I will continue to love him and trust him and serve him (from Daniel 3:16-18).

Thank you for joining me in praying that the Lord will heal Kirsten.  We will know in about a month what the Lord has done but in the meantime, the Leffler family will continue to love, trust and serve him.