I Like Our Chances

We all have our beliefs on the actual power of prayer. Many of us use it like crossing our fingers. We state a request to God followed by a question mark, even stating if it’s your will – (which let’s face it, if it’s not, it’s not happening). Some of us only go to God in desperation (the atheist in a foxhole analogy). Some of you go to Him daily with more certainty, more of the “you claim it, and it’s happening’ prayer. I’ve used all three. 

Today, I have my biggest prayer request to date.

My beautiful wife Vicki is going in for surgery as she was just diagnosed with breast cancer. This hit me hard, a real punch in the gut. I don’t know how often I tell Vicki that anything can happen on a dime, but this time it really did. Being part of a prayer team, being in ministry, I’ve prayed a lot of prayers on the behalf of others and I’ve seen God do absolutely amazing things – I mean AMAZING! But it sure feels different when it’s this close to home. There is a natural line of questioning we get into:

How will God use this?

How hard will this get?

What conclusion works best for His glory?

What is our role in this? 

What is His will here?

This past year Vicki and I on separate occasions prayed for God to ‘break us’. The meaning behind it was this ‘cookie cutter Christianity’ we were seeing and even living out unintentionally in our own lives sometimes. These past several years, we’ve seen Christians hurting Christians, Christians behaving like love wasn’t an essential of our faith and honestly many of us Christians living a bit too comfortably. We didn’t like it and we needed God to make us a bit uncomfortable and motivate us to walk closer with Him. 

Careful what you pray for.

But if I’m honest, I’d pray it again. God has never more real to us and has never shown Himself more clear. He has shown it to us in the many loving people around us and their willingness to help with anything we need. He has given us far more peace that I expected. He has reassured us in countless ways. We all need to be broken a bit as it helps us to lean better on the only One who can truly repair us. 

As difficult as this is to say, no matter what, I’m all in and I thank Him in advance of what He has in store for our family.

That being said I’m still going to utilize the incredible loved ones in my life (all you reading this) and ask each of you to say a prayer right now for Vicki. God loves when His people talk to Him and God responds! 

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.