Dear Friends,
As I sit here typing, my younger son John is going through detoxification in an intensive care unit in Georgia . He had been making preparations for his upcoming wedding when a life-long problem with alcohol got the best of him. Damage to his kidneys and liver is severe and things are touch-and-go. We just learned of the situation a few hours ago, so after taking time to pray with Bonnie, I retreated to my office where I turned to the one thing that calms me: writing about the glory of God.
The inspiration verse for today on one of the Bible websites I follow read, “It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.” Deuteronomy 13:4 (NIV)
When life is easy, serving and holding fast to the Lord is easy. It is when our world seems to crumble around us that our faith is tested. Habakkuk 3:17-18 is a Scripture that reminds me that in good times and bad, I must follow the Lord: “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
Bonnie and I will be flying to Atlanta to be with our son and to assist his fiancé Dee Dee. Whatever the outcome, I know that my son loves the Lord and that he is not alone. Thessalonians 5:16-19 tells us, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
While I am far from joyful right now, I rejoice in the Lord knowing that, as Isaiah proclaimed, “’Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” Isaiah 54:10
Bonnie and I are praying continually for John and Dee Dee, and we ask you, our Friends in Christ, to pray with us. We give thanks to God for the compassion he has for all of us.
Blessings,
Don &Bonnie
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