Comment by Silvia Barrios — September 28, 2009 @ 9:29 am
Pastor Britt Merrick,
My family and I are praying for your precious Daisy and your family.
I have been extremely encouraged by your message. The privlege we have to hold our kids…even as short as just a few weeks in our wombs is a privlage that may bring pain, but I know we can never ever wish that they would have not been given to us. We are thankful for the time we have with them.
I believe like you that hope in Him does not disappoint… it does not….I believe it with ALL my heart.
The Lord has taught me to have faith not that all will go well, but faith that all is His will for me and it IS well. Faith to trust Him.
When I prayed and had all the faith I could force my self to believe…and I still miscarried…I couldn’t understand…then God gently taught me my faith was in the wrong place…it was that God would do my will…not that His will was good for me.
Thank you for sharing I have forward this message to many.
Lifting Daisy and your family in prayer.
Barrios Family
Comment by Thomas Ensign — September 30, 2009 @ 8:36 pm
Dear Merricks,
Thank you for your message.
We are four years ahead of you in our journey with cancer. Our son James was diagnosed with leukemia four years ago this week. By His grace and mercy, God has blessed us with recovery and a good prognosis.
Thank you for your vulnerability in your message. We know what that day is like when you learn that your child has cancer and life as you’ve known it is forever changed — not ruined, but changed.
Thank you for your boldness in proclaiming the goodness of God. Like you, we quickly came to the conclusion that the Creator of the Universe knew that we would meet, marry, have James and that he’d have leukemia. Although the future is uncertain, we know that God is good and that should He choose to allow James to die, it would be to accomplish His good purposes in the lives of others and to bring glory to Himself. We know that, when understood through the lens of eternity, we will say, “Wow, God! Look at what you’ve accomplished! Only you could have done this.”
During our most difficult days of intense chemotherapy, people would say to us, “Your faith is incredible,” or “I could never look at it that way.” But as you said, our faith is not in doctors or medicine or in “faith”, but in God and His word. Faith and hope in him is the natural outcome when you understand His sovereignty and goodness. Besides, as Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, you have the words of life. To whom should we go?” (John 6:68) Truly, where else could we go?
You’re right to avoid the question “Why?”. The Lord impressed on us early on that the question is “What?”. What, Lord, are you trying to accomplish through this? What, Lord, do you want us to do? What, Lord, do you want us to say to others who are suffering? What, Lord, do you want us to say to testify to your grace and goodness?
While our family currently lives with the good news of a positive prognosis, we’ve been forced to contemplate the possibility that James may precede us to be with the Father. Your message says everything that we would want to be said, should that day ever come.
Thank you again, Britt, for the blessing that your message and witness has been for us and for the glory you are bringing to our Father. Your family has a race in front of you, and a cloud of witnesses is cheering you on — and the Father is saying, “Well done. Keep going. Well done. Keep going.”
We will be praying for your precious daughter and for the rest of your family. May God pour out a tsunami of grace, mercy and peace upon each of you. May He grant full and complete healing for Daisy, and may He make you abundantly aware of His presence with you during this difficult, troublesome, heartbreaking time.
With love and prayers,
Thomas, Anna, Daniel, James and Peter
Katie here again. Jeremy just started playing "Beautiful Lord" once again. I think God has a sense of humor: "When the storm is raging all around me, You are the peace that calms my troubled sea."
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