Prayer Updates

"It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness."  Lamentations 3:22,23

I so appreciate all the emails and the prayers you all have been praying for the requests I share here, and I wanted to post updates.

First of all, praise God, my sister, Sharon's boyfriend, Bruce, got GREAT results from his doctor.  There is NO cancer, thank the dear Lord!  Sharon posted this comment on the last blog post,

"My dear sister, we just talked to the lung Dr. And thank God the spots on Bruce's lungs are not cancer. I want to thank each and everyone for your prayers.Again we thank you all and most of all we thank the good Lord."

I say a hearty "Amen" and "Amen!"  I was so relieved to hear this news and can't thank you all enough for your prayers for Sharon and Bruce.  To God be all the glory!

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Secondly, I heard from my dear friend, Priscilla, with this update about Kelly.

 "Kelly is doing better. She is in therapy now for her arm and neck. Still has a little ways to go but so very thankful for all the prayers and for what the Lord has done for her. "

It is so wonderful to see how far God has brought Kelly from just a few weeks ago!  He is a mighty God who absolutely hears and answers prayer.  Praise His holy name!

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Lastly, here is the latest update about little three-year old Dallas Wilson.

"They moved Dallas yesterday to a rehab facility. He's still improving-thank the good Lord and they hope this more intensive therapy will help him get to where he needs to be to finally come home. It's been over 30 days to my knowledge his parents have been with him the entire time. I know they need prayers too!"

Bless their dear hearts!  I agree that these parents need our continued prayers.  The battle has been long, and it sounds like there is still a very long road ahead of this little guy.  Please do keep Dallas and his parents and family in your prayers.  

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Jesus said, "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."  Matthew 11:28-30

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."  Hebrews 4:16

What a blessing it is to be able to bring our many requests to the throne of grace and present them to God in prayer.  My inbox fills up so quickly these days, as I hear from so many with hearts that are heavy and in need of rest and relief from the cares of this world.  Thank you to all who write to me and pour out your hearts.  I am so thankful our Jesus has big shoulders and is able to not only carry us, but our heavy crosses, too.  Remember, He knows better than any of us how hard it is to bear a cross.  

May He richly bless and comfort each one of you who are walking through such hard trials.  We are living in extremely discouraging times, but we must NOT lose our faith in God.  He is with us, regardless, and He will always be.

I will never forget the night almost nine years ago as I paced the floor in my dear, precious Mom's living room.  She was suffering so terribly, and I was calling on God to help her.  Oh, she did not want to have to go back to the hospital, and she seemed to know what was ahead of her.  All at once she said, "Cheryl, I don't think I'm gonna make it this time."  I was so distraught to hear my resilient mother say such a thing.  She was absolutely the strongest woman I ever knew, and she always bounced back and had such a will to live.  "Mom, please don't say that.  Don't talk like that!" was my anguished reply.

"No, I mean it.  I want you to keep the faith and keep encouraged."  Mom went on to say some other things, as my heart sunk to the floor.  It wasn't long after that I had to call the ambulance to pick her up, as her condition worsened quickly, and she found no relief.  A few days later, as I was standing next to her bed in Intensive Care, she was struggling hard to try to tell me something.  It was so difficult for her to talk against the forced air coming from the bipap machine that was helping her breathe.

I finally pulled it back just a little so I could hear what she was trying to tell me.  I didn't want to miss a word.  Her words to me?

KEEP.  PRESSING.  ON.

I had such a hard time understanding, but thank the Lord, Kevin was able to.  He is my witness.  Those were some of the last words my sweet, Godly mother ever spoke to me.  I hear her voice echoing those precious words in my head time after time after time.

Keep the faith.

Keep encouraged.

Keep pressing on.

I hear them resounding through the corridors of time, shouted to me from my dear Mom and Dad and Papaw and Mimmie and all those who have gone on before, who are now in that great cloud of witnesses spoken about in Hebrews 12:1-2,

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Some day soon, I believe Jesus will burst through the sky with that great cloud of witnesses and catch us all away to Heaven.

"And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints." Jude 1:14

"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."  I Thessalonians 4:13-17

Keep the faith.  Keep encouraged.  Keep pressing on.

We are almost home!

"Almost Home" by Mercy Me