Just a brief(ish) post because I know people will appreciate an update on the test results.

We didn’t get the phone call until around 11am. Apparently the doctor did call, but we had every phone in the house situated within 5cm of us and we didn’t get that call. We ended up having to call the surgery to find out why there was a delay. It remains a mystery…but we were not panicking. Meanwhile, as we waited, 15 of the ladies had gathered at the home of one of our sisters to pray for us. They met at 9:30am this morning and they might have thought we’d already had the results, but we hadn’t, we were still waiting…waiting for another hour and a half in fact!

So I wonder about that mysterious absence of a phone-call that the doctor made…just mysterious or Divinely mysterious!? There’s no doubt the doctor made that call; she’s a very nice doctor who takes great care and concern over Annie. She checked the number with us and she assured us, she called. I don’t doubt that at all. I also don’t doubt whether our phones were working. One thing you do the night before a phone-call like that, is you make sure those phones are ready and waiting! I am more inclined to call that mystery not just Divine mystery, but Divine Providence. As those ladies prayed, we were being lifted up to the Lord and as for this household, we were not panicking and pacing but experiencing great peace as we waited.

Having all that time to wait, I spent more time with God reading from 1 Samuel 17 in preparation for the next time I meet with our youth discipleship guys’ breakfast meeting next week. It was great to read that old and familiar account of young David and the fearsome Philistine giant, Goliath. As I read it the Spirit of God illuminated two things in particular…

1. David’s faith in the greatness and faithfulness of the Lord gives him confidence that replaces fear and trembling with courage and action

2. David’s encounter is a picture of what Jesus would do on the cross.Goliath’s sword, the very instrument of death that Goliath threatened David with, David uses to finish Goliath off. The cross, the very instrument of death that threatened to extinguish Jesus, brought death to sin and death and gave power and life to the gospel!

Whatever news we would receive, our confidence is in the Lord, the author of our salvation!

in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. – Romans 8:37

As I was reminded yesterday in Ephesians 6:17, Jesus has conquered death and sin and His people are now more than conquerors. Annie and I are more than conquerors. What does that mean? I don’t exactly know, but I like to think that a mere conqueror, conquers earthly things: like nations, kings, kingdoms, diseases. William (the Conqueror) went about attempting to conquer nations and Louis Pasteur helped conquer diseases like rabies. But what about when you’re a more than conqueror? Well, Jesus has conquered death and sin! That makes Him more than a mere conqueror. And more than this, His conquest, which began by leaving His heavenly throne and laying down His life, not only defeats our greatest enemy but transforms us from God’s enemies into God’s children. Isn’t that awesome!?

So, finally Annie got in touch with the doctor and exchanged the usual pleasantries, I’m just hovering in the background thinking ‘Cut to the chase!’ (which I know is what you are wanting me to do right now!).

She told us she is not overly concerned. Her anemia levels last time were 9.8 and now they were 9.2. It’s dropped but the doctor was only going to be concerned if it was around 7 which might call for a blood transfusion to give Annie more strength.

As for the liver and kidneys, she wasn’t worried. She said the levels looked a bit higher than normal but that this was a usual sign of dehydration that Annie has had over the last few days. The doctor actually said:

“Perhaps in a couple of months we’ll do another check.”

Give what I was sharing in yesterday’s post, an extended ‘deadline’ is strange to think about. Those of you that are familiar with our home page blog entry (indeed, the very title of the blog) will know that we’ve had our fair share of medical results and assurances before. We have learned to appreciate the skills and technology they have and provide, but we also appreciate that it’s not always accurate; it’s not always right. In fact, we’ve had some pretty monumentally incorrect prognoses related to Annie’s cancer in the past; some not even shared in the archives of this blog; maybe even headline worthy. But that doesn’t mean we despise the health service or the professionals within it. Jesus calls us to be peacemakers not troublemakers; proclaimers more than we are protesters. How can you be a peacemaker if you haven’t first received His peace? His peace has been with us every step – even in the painful ones. And we receive every medical prognosis, good or bad, inaccurate or correct, with the peace of Jesus the Risen Lord in our minds and in our hearts

We are grateful to God for our medical services. But ultimately we rest our assurance on something and someone else. Something and someone that never fails. Someone who not only tells the truth but is The Truth. His love and power and knowledge are not limited. He is the only person in the universe who can truly say “I care for you; I will protect you.”.

His Name is Jesus and He – AND HE ALONE – is Our Lord,

Yours, resting on Him and in Him alone,

R&A