Blessings Come in All Shapes and Sizes

So pregnancy has been progressing normally for the most part so of course we will be attacked in other ways. We found out there is a possibility of an emergency C-section due to Addie's breech position.  Furthermore, Mike has not had to travel much for work and wouldn't you know it, November is setting up to be full of traveling.  Of course this is not the worst part of recent events, Tuesday Mike had to drive 2 hours away to the Veterinary Hospital at University of Illinois where it was discovered that Payton (our dog) had a rare injury back in June that only surgery can fix, so rare that the head vet with 20-30 years experience has only seen it 4 times total.  Well the blessing (no not the cost$$$$) is that one of those times was just 6 weeks ago, which made them recognize this injury and diagnosis so quickly.  So surgery was Wednesday (went well, whatever that means) and Mike had to travel back to U of I on Thursday to pick up the dog.  Our house consists of two wild boys and a "spoiled" dog in a cast that we must keep doped up, caged, and collared.  YES, God has a sense of humor.  The dog has 6 weeks of casting/splinting/bandaging left and I have 6 weeks before Addie is due unless she follows her brother's foot step and chooses to enter the world on her own time (month early for those unaware). So things here have stayed interesting, but through it all we have felt God drawing us closer and giving us peace and blessings in the midst. We are still continuing to cry out to God for complete healing for Addie believing that upon birth this is what will still happen. The time we are taking to spend in the Bible is reaffirming to us how much God desires to hear and answer our prayers. A week ago Mike went to Arlington TX for a prayer conference. He came home with lots of books for me because I love to read! One of them was about divine healing so of course that is what I started first. One of the verses that really hit me was Mark 16:¹⁵ He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. ¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; ¹⁸ they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” We are suppose to be seeing these healings and miracles. The signs and wonders are suppose to be alive in the church in order to show God's power and bring about His glory. Today in Sunday school we were studying 1 Kings 18 and the story about God's prophet Elijah calling down fire from Heaven onto his sacrifice to the Lord when the prophets of Baal could not. He prays this prayer right before the fire falls “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” 1 Kings 18:36b-37. This along with the verse from Mark really hit me to where we are at right now especially with Addie. We as it says in Mark are believers in the name and power of Jesus, we have a right to expect sick people to be made well because of the power of Jesus. But He gave them that power to use as they went out to preach and spread the gospel to all creation so as Elijah cries in 1 Kings we want to see God's healing touch on Addie so that people will know that there is a God in Heaven who not only holds all power but desires to interact with us. He wants us to pour our hearts out to Him and to give our lives to Him as a daily sacrifice so that His power can flow freely through us. Mike and I therefore are standing on the promises of God where we have no fear because we know that Psalms 33:4 tells us "The word of the Lord is right, and true, He is faithful in all He does." When we live in His truth and His power we are able to live in peace that can open our eyes to the blessings in the midst of the trials. Even this week because of the way God has so strengthened our faith in Him and His power, even as we wait for the healing, we are able to reach out and walk along side others who are also desperate for His healing power and to see Him glorified in every part of their lives. God has given us verses and promises and a deeper level of understanding as we have drawn closer and closer to Him. It is so powerful to see Romans 8:28 come all "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Our purpose is to love and bring glory to God as we share His truth with those around us. The more we open ourselves up to that and by prayer to the power of God the more He uses us. The more we give of ourselves the more He can fill. We are waiting anticipating God's healing to come more powerfully then we can imagine we hold to Micah 7:7 "But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me." He is already our Savior and Redeemer our names our written in His book of life now we watch and we wait to see how He will continue to use us here on earth as we wait for the day we can enter His kingdom. I go to the last specialist appointment Friday November 8th at 2:00. I am now 6 weeks away from my due date of December 15th and if I go into labor from today on they will not stop it. Life is exciting and it sure doesn't stop going but though it may be exhausting we are living Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because He trusts in you." There is no better place to be than in the perfect peace of Jesus because you know that no matter what circumstances this world may throw at you Jesus tells us to “take heart! I have overcome the world.”John 16:33b. The battle has already been won and by accepting the love and forgiveness of Jesus, recognizing our sin and humanity we have chosen the side of the victor! We will come out victorious because Jesus has already fought the fight and overcome this world we are just waiting and must remember whatever we are facing to follow the truth of the Word of God.  "Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory" Deuteronomy 20:3, 4.