Beyond Mortal Ways Published on August 11, 2013, by Rich Johnson in Update. “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” Isaiah 55:8 NLT In giving it my best “shot” to try to determine what is going on in our lives, and make sense of our physical trials I’ve come to the conclusion, that God’s ways are far beyond what I can comprehend or imagine. His thoughts and ways are far more than my mind can comprehend. He’s God, and He has the ultimate plan. Does this negate the all important faith we must have in our walk with the Lord? Not at all, for without faith, it is impossible to please God. Faith is necessary in our relationship with our God. But one thing is certain for me…He knows what’s going to happen in the next five minutes… I don’t. He knows what tomorrow holds and I don’t. That’s why I must trust Him for what is best in our lives, and He always does what’s best for us. I can trust that about Him. The plan He has is always the best plan for us, because He sees the big picture and not just a few short frames of life. And the amazing thing is…He does it all with 7.5 billion people! This is mind boggling! This is one reason I don’t ever try to “remind God” of His Word or tell Him what seems best for me or Robin. I’m certain He has it all under control, and I don’t ever have to remind Him or figure out the plan for Him. My responsibility is to be sure I’m in right standing with Him, and continue on in my walk with Him in a way that would only develop and strengthen our relationship on a daily basis. Robin and I are having the time of our lives each night, as we lie down in the final hours of our day, put on some worship music and begin to praise our way into His presence for what turns out to be sometimes an hour and a half to two hours. It’s not about the time but the presence. we don’t want to stop. It has drawn us closer to Him in ways I’m not sure would have happened without these illnesses in our lives. Only heaven could trump what’s going on in our late nights now! Oh, we’ve always had a close relationship with Jesus, but this is unprecedented, as we enter His presence on a much deeper level. We look forward to these moments of sheer closeness to our Lord. Our bedroom has become our sanctuary. Lest you think I’m boasting, I only boast in Him, as we are so very grateful to the Lord for coming close to us in these very difficult times in our lives. He is here. We are still believing for our healing, but I think we’re believing now for more of Him and His infinite ways to be played out in our lives for, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” With this post please don’t get the impression I’m NOT praying for our healings, so please continue to pray that way, what I’m asking you to do for us now is rejoice with us in the relationship and closeness we have with Him through our valley. It’s been a very long journey, and the longer it gets, the sweeter He gets with each passing moment. Health Updates: Robin is still fighting the good fight even though pain wracks her body nearly all day every day now. Hospice has doubled all of her pain medications and the pain patch she wears to try to bring relief from the pain. She sleeps much more now, which is a sign of end stage symptoms coupled with the increase in pain meds. She is having night sweats every night, which is a frustration for her and is common with some cancer patients as the body fights the disease. The truth is this…hospice has given us a time frame for what they feel would be realistic seeing the progression in her body, and it’s not very long. We as a family have had to discuss this, and it’s a very difficult thing to do, but this is the reality before us. We can’t stick our heads in the sand or turn our heads to the side and pretend it’s not happening. The fact is, no one knows what this like unless you’ve dealt with it yourself, and even then each case is unique in its own way. Our children are dealing with two terminally ill parents. It’s not too common. They are strong people. Much stronger than I was at their ages I think, but please pray for them and their families, as they are dealing with these insurmountable issues with both of us. I have now graduated to the Fentyl pain patch myself now in my journey. It seems to help, as I’m dealing with more pain on a more consistent basis and had to resort to more pain pills throughout the day to help me. I’m still strong and value that in order for me to be able to still help Robin with some things. In fact, I just booked another preaching engagement for mid September by faith, and I’ve said, “as long as the Lord entrusts me with His Word, I will continue as long as I can to tell others about Him as I am able.” I was born for this, and I want to continue to be obedient to His calling as He opens doors of opportunity. “Through the Valley” is still available through our blog and we’d be honored if you’d read it and buy a copy for a friend who may be going through difficult “valley experiences.” It’s our story of physical trials over the past 5 plus years, but even more than that, it’s the story of how God has provided and held us up during these times. I promise you won’t be disappointed. It’s not a lengthy read or difficult read. Order your copy(ies) today through the book tab on this blog. Thank you for your support! BTW… we do tithe on our book sales to our missions program at church. We felt we wanted to continue to plant good seed in good soil to keep planting in other’s lives for the kingdom. Your book purchase(s) has far reaching implications…eternity! So thankful we can fully trust our God with everything we have including our very lives, because His ways and thoughts are higher than ours! Blessed Beyond Measure, Rich and Robin
Posted on: Tue, 13 Aug 2013 15:51:58 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015