Sharing Scripture - Hoping for Healing

A few thoughts from Andy Briars to; encourage / challenge / cause you to pray !!!

Family & Friends of Rob & Lorna (Mum & Dad) will know of their devotion to our loving heavenly father and readers of Rob's Blogs will have read the truth that new life & forgiveness is found through Jesus Christ. Many have been blessed by Dad's ministry at Carley Baptist Church or through visiting speaking engagements in the UK. Sharing God's message of truth has also taken Mum & Dad around the globe from Poland to Oregon and beyond.

For years our family has been blessed by Rob's; spiritual guidance, messages of hope, prayers for protection, challenge to change, devotion and dedication. Since his Stroke the relationship has changed. Rob's mind is still sharp but now the conversation & ministry has swapped around as Rob now looks to others to give words of hope & prayers of faith.

If you are one of those who have been previously been blessed by Rob's life & ministry now its your turn to exercise your faith and as guided by the Holy Spirit petition God the father through the power of Jesus' name. Six weeks after his Stroke Rob needs a touch from God in the miracle of healing. He also needs the peace of God to bring sleep and rest through the night.

Through the weeks my family (Jill, Simon, Rhianna, Jonathan & myself) have visited Dad. We've shared about our lives, Rejoiced in Gods goodness, Remembered happier times, Held hands, Cried, Prayed together and shared Scriptures. To encourage you to pray the following passages are just some of the thoughts the Lord has challenged us with.

Psalm 118: 1, 5-9, 13-18
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; is love endures forever. In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free. The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.

I was pushed back and about to fall, but the LORD helped me. The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: "The LORD's right hand has done mighty things! The LORD's right hand is lifted high; the LORD's right hand has done mighty things!" I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done. The LORD has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death.

Verse 17 was one of the first ones I shared with Dad. I guess back in mid April it was more of a verse shared in hope rather than certainty. However just a couple of days after sharing this Psalm one of the many cards contained the following reading;

Psalm 40 : 1-5
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.

I read this passage with Dad and we both saw the link to Psalm 118:17. In the King James version verse 17 says "declare the works of the Lord" and here in Psalm 40:5 we have promise that the wonders and things God has planned for us are too many to declare. With Rob's vocabulary down to; Yes / No / Oh dear these verses where something to hold onto... The thought that one day Dad would proclaim what God had done for him!!

Earlier the same day Mum had opened the hospital Bible at Romans chapter 1 and Rob lay there reading & they both recalled Romans 1:16 "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" This was Rob's life verse when he was in the Navy and he wrote it on letters set back home. Here in Psalm 40 we read the Gospel... How God lifts our life out of the depths of sin & sets our feet on a rock (Jesus) and puts a new song in our mouth. The end of verse 3 says "many will see & fear and put their trust in the Lord" If you are reading this and have never asked Jesus into your heart then turn in repentance & accept God's forgiveness through Jesus' blood !!!

Verse 1 of Psalm 40 says "I waited patiently for the Lord" Well over 5 weeks after reading these verses we are having to be patient as Rob still has no control of his Right Leg or Arm. If you think its hard for us to be patient try to imagine what Rob is feeling like!! To be mentally sharp. To understand what has happened to his body & be powerless to move his right hand side or have the facility to recall even basic words like "I need the toilet" or "I need a drink"

The verse goes onto say "He (Jesus) turned to me and heard my cry" Well through all of this we have hardly ever seen Dad cry but just days after reading Psalm 40 Dad did sob is heart out but I'll save that for the next Blog.

For now just keep on waiting patiently for the Lord as we all continue to cry out for Robs healing.