Psalm 91 - "When We Fall Apart"

 

Last night the Lord woke me a few hours after going to sleep to pray. I don't normally look at facebook or emails at such time but felt like I should. Not long before that the grandmother of a newborn baby requested prayer for a baby who was transferred to the NICU of a larger hospital for testing. A friend asked for an unspoken prayer request. The third person He had me pray for was a friend who was on a twenty-four hour shift of a ride-along with EMS for his school. When he first got there, he sent me a picture of the surroundings. It was rough. I told him I would pray Psalm 91 over him through the day and I did. This Psalm is one to make us realize God is our Protector no matter what the circumstance we find ourselves in. He is protecting precious newborn Hazel as she is in NICU. He is protecting my friend and her husband as they await answers. He protected my friend on the ride-along last night. As I celebrated with Dave on his retirement from the Marines after twenty years of service this verse came to me. God protected him many times over the last twenty years. As I drove to Orangeburg yesterday He protected me on the roads. I am so grateful for His protection. I am grateful for the words David wrote in Psalm 91. It reminds me when trials come my way God protects me. He takes the trials and uses them to stretch my faith and show His love more than ever before. I am sure David thought about the trials he went through like with Goliath when he wrote this Psalm. It takes allowing God to be your King of Kings and Lord of Lords to have peace in the knowledge He is protecting you through trials of life. Matthew Henry wrote of these verses:: 

Whatever happens, nothing shall hurt the believer; though trouble and affliction befal, it shall come, not for his hurt, but for good, though for the present it be not joyous but grievous. Those who rightly know God, will set their love upon him. They by prayer constantly call upon him. His promise is, that he will in due time deliver the believer out of trouble, and in the mean time be with him in trouble. The Lord will manage all his worldly concerns, and preserve his life on earth, so long as it shall be good for him. For encouragement in this he looks unto Jesus. He shall live long enough; till he has done the work he was sent into this world for, and is ready for heaven. Who would wish to live a day longer than God has some work to do, either by him or upon him? A man may die young, yet be satisfied with living. But a wicked man is not satisfied even with long life. At length the believer's conflict ends; he has done for ever with trouble, sin, and temptation.

Yesterday one of the songs that came on was "When We Fall Apart" that Ryan Stevenson sings. It always makes me think of Doc's journey with pancreatic cancer. I used to never get through it without crying. The song came out soon after Doc left this earth. It is like the writers were flies on our walls with the lyrics. 

All the hopes and dreams we used to talk about
They're still alive in me and I just hope I make you proud
Now I'm your legacy
And it's your love still holding me together
And I still hear you say
It's ok to cry
It's ok to fall apart
You don't have to try
To be strong when you are not
And it may take sometime to make sense of all your thoughts
But don't ever fight your tears
'Cause there is freedom in every drop
Sometimes the only way to heal a broken heart is when we fall apart

I shed many tears after Doc left this earth. There were many times I did not think I would be able to continue yet God was/is always there for me protecting me from my own thoughts. Praise His Holy Name! As I watched the sun set last night Psalm 91 once again came to my mind. God has protected me in so many ways. Some I know of while I am sure there are many I do not know about. I am grateful for each and every one.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for the protection You provided for me as I traveled yesterday and for Andy as he was on a twenty-four hour EMS ride-along in a tough area! Thank You for protecting little Hazel as she is in NICU and for Gay and Doug as they await answers. Lord, I know trials are a part of life and I am grateful for the way You have stretched my faith through the loss of Doc and then my Rickey. I am grateful for the way You protect us through trials as Psalm 91 reads. All I have to do is allow You to be Who You desire in my life. Cleanse me so I can be better at doing so. I pray Your peace over not only those I have mentioned but also: My Momma; my sisters Linda, Sally, and Mary; my brother Richard; Ben and Colleen; Pete and Delores; Steve; Cait; Beth; Nancy; Mike; Norma Hall; Sharon Sebolt and her parents; some young ladies with anxiety; a young man out of rehab who needs strength in his daily walk; Rhonda; Mary Lilley; a husband/father separated from his wife; Brooklyn; Kristen Batten; Amber; families in turmoil; Cyndi; Tammie; Serenna and her husband; and many others. I also pray healing prayers over many who are dealing with 'c' and/or going through treatments...Sharon's daughter Ashley; Chrissy's cousins; Shirley Jones; Preacher Bill Watts; Cait's friend with leukemia; my pastor friend with daily chemo; my friend with mesothelioma; Little Ivy; Little Judson; Alex's niece; a young girl in our community; a lady whose breast cancer has returned; and a lady diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. I pray for: the Long Family, Vickie and her son Jim, Clay's cousin who was in a motorcycle accident, and Russ. Thank You for continued strength for Baby Henry! I pray continued healing for Kim, Rick, Pastor Ted, Cindy, and Justin Hillman as they recuperate from surgeries. May You be so close to the Nead Family and Melinda with the loss in their families. May You also be close to Jodi and her family with Owen's service today. I also pray protection over Donna's grandmother and others evacuated in Kentucky floods. Thank You for being My Protector! Amen.