Prayer Please.........

Tonight, I write this blog with a very heavy, yet confident heart. A dear friend of mine that attends our church, Deborah, has been battling cancer now for many years. She has two young boys, I believe that they are both under the age of 10 and she is a single parent. I don't know a lot of details about when her cancer began, but those things do not matter right now. Let me tell you a little bit about her........about her radiance, her determination, her everglowing smile.

When I first met Deborah, it was at our Women's Retreat. I had heard of her and prayed for her, but never seen her. She immediately came up and hugged me, began telling one of her crazy jokes and smiled as if life was a wonderful walk in the park. During that week-end, I learned about a woman with a strong-will to believe in God's grace and promises. A woman who was devoted to Him and praised Him with every ounce of her being. I remember walking away from that retreat feeling humbled by her testimony and the way in which she carried herself.

Not once have I heard her speak negatively about our Father; she only praises Him through the battle. These past few weeks, Deborah has been in enormous pain.....pain is something Deborah would never admit too so we all knew it had to be bad if she was speaking it. She then found out last week that her cancer has spread up her spine and that there is a tumor on her brain. What was Deborah doing during all of this? She was sitting in our church booth at the Relay for Life Friday night......laughing with us, joking, smiling at her youngest son, and talking about how she's organizing her home a bit more now that summer is here. I had mailed Deborah a card last week, and I had embellished it with dragonflies. I found out Friday night, that dragonflies are her favorite of all creation. She told me how it had lifted her spirits that day. I never knew that about her.

As I wipe away the tears as I think of her testimony at this very moment, I ask that you all please be in prayer for her tomorrow. Deborah is having radiosurgery Wednesday on the brain. They are going to try to remove the lesion on the brain. If all works well, she may have surgery on her spine Thursday to remove some of the cancer to help make her more comfortable and give her some more time with the boys.

Deborah is strong and she is at peace with everything going on around her right now. She had told a friend that she feels God's presence in her life and she isn't afraid and that she has no fears about the procedures. Lord, I wish I could be as strong as her. My heart is breaking for all of them, especially her sons. Deborah radiates her love for those boys. And she lives FOR them. Join me as we lift her up in prayer......

Father, right now I lift Deborah up to you.....I lift her children up to you and those who will be caring for them these next few days. Lord, you knew that this was the life Deborah would lead before you even placed her on this earth, before you created her in the womb of her mother.....and Father, I just ask that you help us praise You and glorify You the way that she has. Lord, be with the surgeons tomorrow, the nurses, the anesthesiologists, all of those involved in the procedure that she will be undergoing. Father, I ask that you give her complete peace and comfort. Lord, You are the Great Physician, the Almighty Healer, and by Your hands, a miracle can occur. Father, right now we are just going to focus on tomorrow and we ask that You be with this family. Lord, Deborah has been a living testament of Your grace and mercy and I ask that you will just bless her with Your grace again. Please, comfort them all and wrap Your ever loving arms around those precious boys. Let them feel their mother's love and encourage them to walk in her footsteps. Father, bless them all now.

In Christ Precious Name,
Amen