His name is Faithful and True…

Planning, scheduling caregivers, paying bills, packing, more packing…and somehwere between all of that, some nervous anticipation and worry. No, it’s not a vacation…

We will be leaving in the wee hours of Monday morning (May 13) to arrive for Isaac’s scheduled surgery at 7:30 a.m. Ugh, that means a 3:00 a.m. wake up time for travel and pre-op! We are asking for you, our massive prayer team partners, to once again storm the gates of heaven with your prayer for this delicate surgery. Matthew had this same surgery, a nissen fundoplication, which is a procedure on the stomach that will eliminate the ability to burp, throw up and reflux. Matthew had this surgery at just a few months old. With Isaac we have had to wait until his esophagus was completely healed from his surgery at just a few days old and did not need constant dialting (stretching) to stay open. His small stomach was also something that played into the decision to delay this complicated prodedure.

Today has been an emotional and joy filled day. We spent some time this morning with the elders of our church as they anointed and prayed with Isaac before we leave for his surgery. They prayed not only for Isaac but for us as a family. Today happens to be Mother’s day…Theresa was overcome with emotion as she held Isaac tight, recalling that just a year ago she was not even able to hold him on this same day. Another memory came flooding back as we sang 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) by Matt Redmond. We stood arm-in-arm a year ago this week in church and cried our eyes out as we left our vigil with Isaac, who was just a few days old, to worship and thank God for the journey we were about to begin.

As I was taking time this past week to pray another little hero through a surgery I came across these few paragraphs from John Elderidge’s book Beautiful Outlaw: Experiencing the Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality of Jesus. I shared it with our friends as they sat through a long, third major heart surgery for Paislyn, a.k.a. Little Miss Miracle. After typing it out and sending it along to them I let it soak in and found that it was just as relevant to us.

Just as the suffering of Christ flows over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. (2 Corinthians 1:5).

Your suffering is neither pointless nor isolated. Somehow, Jesus’ sufferings overflow into our lives; somehow ours are linked to his. This is a great honor. It grants our sorrows an incredible dignity; it invites us to know an intimacy and connection with Jesus in them, because of them. The sufferings of Jesus are the noblest part of his life story; the cross, the crown of thorns. What an unspeakable honor that he would share even this with us. This fellowship is a treasure we have not tapped into but one we will need.

When his suffering overflows into our lives, God’s promise is that his comfort will overflow to us as well. We can cry out for the comfort of God. Whatever your circumstances may be, he will heal your wounded heart; he will comfort. Cling to him.

My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. (Ps. 63:8).

He is with you now. For his name is Faithful and True.

His name is Faithful and True…Oh, have we found that to be true over the years! Hours upon hours suffering through surgery waiting rooms, bedside in a hospital room and even watching a chest rise and fall as our kids peacefully sleep. Breathing, for some of our kids we never have a second thought, for Matthew and Isaac each breath, each heartbeat has been monitored and recorded.

“Faith like Job’s cannot be shaken because it is the result of having been shaken.”   Rabbi Abraham Heshchel

We enter into this new surgery as we have the dozens past…with faith, knowing that God is Faithful and True. Please share our need for prayer as you feel led…for the surgery, for the people who we will share Isaac with over the next week and the opportunities to proclaim how good God is.

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