Counter Culture: Pray For One Another — Tuesday
1 John 5:14
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. (ESV)
She found a lump. That’s how it started—and when we knew our lives were forever changed. That next week, a mammogram was scheduled. After the mammogram, before she even got out of the parking lot, the doctor called her and said she needed another one. The following week, mammogram number two. Results showed an abnormality and a mass, leading to a referral to the Markey Cancer Center for yet another mammogram, a biopsy, and a needle aspiration. We prayed. Of course our prayer was, “Please don’t let this be cancer.” I benign cyst, an odd but harmless lumpy spot, anything but cancer. But we also prayed, “Not our will, but yours.”
How could cancer be God’s will? It’s not! Please know that. God doesn’t want my wife to have cancer, but it happened. God’s will is for us to reach out to Him, walk with Him, and depend on Him for our provision and protection. He promises never to leave us or forsake us, and He never has. God gave us a friend with a connection, led us to Louisville, gave us great doctors who truly care, and connected us with financial resources and great mental health resources. He gave me an employer that cares more about our well-being than my work, and numerous friends and family that lift us up constantly. That was God’s will, and our desire—and He heard us.
When we pray for each other, it’s okay to pray for healing, for supernatural protection, for all of our wants and desires to be fulfilled. But pray also for God’s will. Sometimes, there is so much more to gain by walking through something with God and seeing how He moves, how He sustains us, how He loves us, and how he gives us peace.
*Update: Although Amy is still in active treatment, we are grateful to say there is currently no evidence of disease in her body.
Tuesday’s Reflection
When you pray for others, be sure to make God’s will primary in your request. Blessings will always be had when we submit to His will.