Matthew 7:7-11
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!
Today I thought I would share with you one of the verses that Mark loved and excerpts from an update that he gave right after his initial round of treatments. He had surgery October 4, 2018, and this was from him on his birthday, January 6, 2019.
Thank you so much for your diligence and perseverance in prayer for me during this time. Words cannot express our gratitude for each of you! I will say that God has blessed us abundantly through your faithfulness. Here is what we are praying specifically for, and I am asking you to join us in this.
1. That our minds would be free from concern and that our focus would be on Christ alone.
2. That the cancer is gone completely.
We are really trusting that God is healing and that all is well and that ultimately God will be glorified.
I am changing what MRI stands for from Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Miracle Residing Inside.
All Glory to One who has adopted me and made me His child (Matt.7:7-11)!
Mark
I know he especially loved the ending of these verses where it says: how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!
I know as a parent there isn’t much we wouldn’t do for our children or give them what is good, if they ask and if it is within our capabilities. I want to give what is good to my children and grandchildren so can you imagine how much our Heavenly Father wants to do for me? That is amazing to me.
I know that as you read Mark’s update you see he asks for the cancer to be gone completely. It says in the verse to ask, and He will give what is good. We did just that! Mark asked, I asked, our daughters asked, our parents asked, his siblings asked, so many thousands of friends and family asked. Some of you may read this and wonder if God really loved him why when we asked did God not give what was good and take away the cancer?
I wish I had an answer to that, but I don’t. However, I do have a few things I can say. Please understand these are my opinions only.
1. He did give what was good. He gave Mark 54 years on this earth. He had 2 years and 7 months after his diagnosis before calling him home to Heaven.
2. He gave him no real sickness. Yes, he did have bone pain and nausea but during the entire sickness, he was never sick with the traditional things that people going through chemo and other treatments go through.
3. He gave him a family that raised him to love Him. Parents that raised a boy that became a man that loved his family and had an integrity in his work ethic. A man that loved his family with a passion.
4. He gave him a ministry to the local church for most of his life. A ministry to couples the last several years that he loved and coached in their marriages and with their walk with the Lord. (Several came to know the Lord because of Mark’s testimony).
5. He gave him a peaceful ending to an amazing life lived. I held his hand as he left this earth, and he entered the glory of Heaven and met his Heavenly Father for the first time. If you knew my husband, you knew that his priority was his relationship with Jesus, and he lived a life that reflected it. He wasn’t perfect, although his mom and my mama might contest that!
He gave him all that and so much more in his life here on earth. I say all that so you know that no matter how difficult the passing of a loved one can be, there can still be good that the Lord gives. I know it may be hard to see in the moment because there are still moments that I wonder why He took Mark. Again, I don’t know why. The good we want is for our loved one to be healed and still be here with us. I do know that, for me, I choose to believe God is sovereign, in control and still on the throne. I don’t have to, but I trust He knows what He is doing, even when I don’t like it. He has our best interest at heart and loves us, but He is in control. I am choosing to believe He is doing what He knows is best for our loved one and for us left missing them.
I am not saying it’s easy to do or to even believe. These are just my thoughts and what I am choosing to believe. Everyone is on a different journey and yours may not look like mine and that is ok. Just know that for those who love the Lord and believe He is in control; we can trust Him.
A couple of sayings that I have heard:
When you can’t trace God’s hand, trust His heart.
Those who leave everything in God’s hands will eventually see God’s hand in everything.
Confident in His love,
Isaiah 54:10
