II Timothy 1:7 - "Walk By Faith"

I was awake at 3:30am for a bit thinking and praying. Life is very challenging right now. As I started thinking about this week and the way things are going, I became overwhelmed. There are so many 'what ifs' involved. God brought a song that Jeremy Camp sings to my mind...

Well I will walk by faith 
Even when I cannot see 
Well because this broken road 
Prepares Your will for me 
I do pray for God's will for my life. I know His ways are not always what I think will happen. But I also know His ways are perfect for what I need. Sometimes it is just so hard to be in the middle of a 'storm' such as Doc's pancreatic cancer and have a schedule change. But I remember when we prayed about his blood work and chemo, we prayed if the timing was different God would empower us to accept it. So now I have to stand in what I prayed. I cannot fret over this but instead must allow Him control. As I was praying for myself, I started praying for others who are going through a time of adjustment in their life, an illness, a disease, etc.

• Dale, Mike, Kandi, a pastor friend, Peggy and many others who are dealing with cancer and the effects of treatment
• a friend who had a stent put in yesterday due to blockage in their heart
• Melinda with her husband's health issues
• Simarra with her new baby boy and Caroline who is awaiting the birth of her first baby
• Charlene and her family with their son's move to Japan to work
• a pastor friend who is currently not in the pulpit
• Paul and Ben's families as they adjust to their new homes, churches, jobs, etc.
• those who have lost loved ones in recent shootings in our country
• Jim and his family with the upcoming memorial service for Sandie; Shirley and Patti as they continue the new journey of widowhood
• Mr Fran as he struggles with health issues and Bill as he is in rehab for his stroke

No matter what we are facing in life, we need Jesus. He not only needs to be living in our heart but He needs to be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords of our life. We must pray for Him to cleanse us every day so He can fill us with more of His Holy Spirit. His peace will come as we walk in obedience to His will. His love will ooze out of us in a brand new way as we allow Him to take us down "this broken road" we are on called life. He knows what is best and desires it for us. We do not have to fret over anything. A change in a schedule is nothing to Him. In fact, He may have something spectacular to come from it. We never know but He knows and that's all that matters. We must not allow the enemy to put fear upon us but instead stand in God's empowerment no matter what comes our way. In this day/week ahead, I will stand upon II Timothy 1:7. I will strive to not worry but instead walk in the direction God leads. I will strive to not go before Him but instead allow Him to lead. I know He knows best and I will strive to hold onto that knowledge.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for reminding me during the night that You have everything under control! Father, it through us for a loop with the schedule change for Doc's chemo but we give it to You. We know You will work everything out in Your will and in Your time. Father, cleanse us so You can fill us with more of You. Cleanse us so You can empower us. Lord, I prayed for so many during the night with adjustments in their lives due to disease, new babies, deaths, etc. I pray a special blessing on: Dale; Mike; Kandi; a pastor friend; Peggy and many others dealing with cancer/a friend who had a stent in yesterday/Melinda and her husband/ Simarra with her new baby and Caroline who awaits the birth of her first/Charlene and her family with son's move/a pastor friend currently not in the pulpit/Paul and Ben's families as they adjust to their moves/families of those in the recent shootings/Jim and his family, Patti, and Shirley with recent deaths/Mr Fran and Bill with health issues. Lord, may You be greater than their adjustments to life. May You be my physical strength throughout this day as I slept little. May You be my mental and emotional strength as I go to talk to the hospital about our bill. May You be all You need to be in and through me so You will shine brightly through me today. May You be my words, actions, and attitude in a new, different way. Thank You for being My Broken Road Preparer! Amen.