Category: prayer request

Faith and Doubt

On By vickleaIn prayer request, Scripture, testimony10 Comments

Jesus says everything is possible to the one who believes. But how do you believe in a situation that poses a challenge to you?

This has been me for several weeks now. I started with pain in my foot after our trip to Maryland. I went to the ER, they said it was probably sprained and put me in an orthopedic shoe, telling me to make an appointment with a specialist to check for a hairline fracture. I had that appointment on the 16th and my left foot does have a hairline fracture, and I have a new orthopedic boot to wear.

Then, shortly after the ER visit, my allergy symptoms got worse and I thought I had a sinus infection, so I scheduled a visit at the office of my PCP. I didn’t get to see my regular doctor because he wasn’t in that day, and the lady I saw gave me steroids for my persistent cough and said I had Flu A, so I needed fluids and rest. I explained that I always get sicker without help from antibiotics because my immune system doesn’t work well. Nevertheless, I went home with the medral and got increasingly worse. I have been doing breathing treatments for almost two weeks now, interspersed with my rescue inhaler. I have never had to use my nebulizer to much in one time frame before, so this is a little scary for me. I see my pulmonologist tomorrow, for which I am very thankful since after two weeks of coughing incessantly , my abdomen and my ribs hurt. Not trying to whine, just telling you what has been happening in my world.

I got up Saturday and had trouble moving my right leg and bending at all. I think it is a side effect of wearing the very heavy boot on my left foot, so I called my orthopedic specialist this morning and left a message about what to do about this latest problem.

I’m feeling a little discouraged and with not a lot of faith left in my bucket. I have prayed, oh, how I have prayed. I prayed for my foot not to be broken. Well, it is. I prayed for my cough to get better, but it didn’t. So, with what little faith I have in my bucket, I am praying that God will work in this situation as only God can do and that He will help my doubt to spring forth with seeds of faith. It’s not that I don’t believe He can. I do! What I am not sure of is what His answer will be and I am holding on tightly, waiting to breathe better and to walk without excruciating pain. In the meantime, I am grateful for specialists, thankful for my husband who takes me to all of these doctors and especially thankful that I have my faith in God that comforts me even when I am feeling “undone.” I don’t understand why all of this is happening, but I know that God does and He is right there next to me, comforting me with words from the Holy Bible and with His Spirit to keep me calm and focused.

I would appreciate your prayers, not for healing, although that would be good, too. I need prayers for a bigger faith and less doubt. I have found that faith is easy to find on the mountaintop, but in the valley, it is not readily apparent, although I know it is still there.

Meanwhile, I will praise and exalt the God who created me, who knows all things and who loves me in spite of my doubts in my trials.

Need Wisdom

On By vickleaIn prayer request, Scripture3 Comments

A few weeks ago, the pastor at the church we attend said at the beginning of the service that there would be a “big announcement” at the end of the service. No one that I know about expected the big announcement that came. The pastor and elders announced that our church is considering a merger with another local church and we will be having town hall meetings to discuss what this will mean for Compass Christian Church. Our church has about 1200 attending on Sundays, in four services starting at 8 a.m and the last one at 4:30 p.m. A few years ago we went through a big renovation, building an auditorium for the kids’ ministry and adding classrooms and parking spaces. Now, a merger? The church they are considering merging with is also a large church, with over 1000 attending two different services on Sundays mornings. My husband drove me by there after church so that I could see the facilities and it is huge with a “campus” with various buildings for their various activities. When I looked up the other church online, I found some information about their numbers, but I don’t really know much about it. So, now the hard part. Do we stay with Compass if they merge next spring or do we start looking for a new church?

The photo that goes with this scripture on the YouVersion App is perfect for how I am feeling now, like I am on the edge of a precipice looking down into a small pool of water and I have no idea if jumping is a good idea or not.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I do not like change, of any kind or at any time. I am one who thrives on routine and sameness. God has moved me out of my comfort zone several times, but generally, He would nudge me and let me know that change would be coming so I should be prepared for it. This new scenario of a merger hit me like a brick falling unexpectedly on my head. All kinds of “what ifs” are floating around inside that brain of mine.

My first inclination is to say that we need to find a new church. I have been unhappy with the music ministry at Compass for a while. It is so loud that I have to wear noise canceling headphones and at times have had to leave the service and sit in an annex to watch on a screen since the music affects my brain (a side effect of my stroke is that I cannot tolerate loud bass or percussion). So, what would the music be like in a church that is even larger, a mega church, so to speak with a combined membership of over 2000? I have no way of knowing, but that is a concern. So, as I said, my first inclination is to find a new church.

But it is hard to leave the familiar friends and the Sunday school class teachers and classmates behind. It is difficult to contemplate what the women’s ministry for those of us over fifty would be like. What programs will the combined church offer that will be different than what we have now? So many questions and no answers yet. Thus I am left to ponder and pray.

My husband, the extrovert extraordinaire, would be perfectly happy in a mega church with thousands of strangers all around him. I am an introvert with a bad case of shyness and borderline agoraphobia, so the idea of an enormous church with lots of people makes me anxious. God has an answer for my anxiety in that He can and will and is giving me peace. But, what is the solution? I just don’t know. The merger is not a done deal and may never happen, although it sounds a lot like the decision has already been made, the pastors assured us this past Sunday that this is not the case.

I would appreciate your prayers and my husband and I consider what we should do. We are happy at Compass, after getting used to about 400 in the service and finding our niche in various small groups and classes. Can we find another place to belong where we will feel welcomed and comfortable? Maybe, maybe not. And therein lies the problem.

Prayer Requests

On By vickleaIn prayer request, Scripture22 Comments

I feel the need to share two prayer requests with you all and to also ask that you share any prayer requests with me.

God gives us each other for a reason, and at least one of them is so that we can walk this way together.

So, prayer requests. I am in MD visiting my son and his family. Unfortunately, my body’s reaction to the stress of the trip and being here has been to have high blood pressure for three days in a row. I have taken all of the extra medicine I am allowed to take, but it hasn’t gone down. So, I called my cardiologist today and they want me to drink a lot of water (for my headache) and call back in about an hour and a half, after I take my BP again. I would appreciate prayers.

My second prayer request is for a friend who has been in the hospital since Monday. He has pneumonia and fluid around his lungs. They have done two procedures to take the fluid off and he has one more today. He is breathing better, he says, but not doing great. Please pray for Dave for healing and that the doctors will have wisdom.

Now, your turn. Share and we will pray. God does answer prayer!

Choose Joy

On By vickleaIn Christmas, Holidays, prayer request, Scripture, Song, YouVersion App1 Comment

From the YouVersion Bible App Devotional “Advent, Day 14”

Joy vs. Happiness

There are many similarities between joy and happiness. They’re both positive, make you smile, and improve your day. But there are also some big differences. So let’s explore the differences between joy and happiness.

Happiness happens to you. When a friend sends words of encouragement, you get the job, or find your lost keys, you feel happy. It’s a response and it feels good. But, like all emotions, happiness fades over time. Joy is different.

In the Bible, joy isn’t an emotion. It’s an attitude. Joy is a resilient cheerfulness anchored in the goodness of God. Think of it like a lens, helping you see your life in a different way. Joy recognizes the pain people experience every day but also remembers God’s kindness, love, and good plans for the world. Then, joy allows these truths to influence how we speak, act, and present ourselves.

So what does joy look like? Well it doesn’t always look like constant smiling and a bubbly personality. Instead, it looks like a perspective informed by the good news of Jesus.

Imagine your best friend has a surprise party later in the day. It’s your job to keep them busy until the celebration kicks off. So while you do ordinary activities with your friend, knowing there’s a party coming changes your attitude.

Knowing good news changes you, so it’s often hard to hide. As followers of Jesus, we know the best news—God loves us despite our flaws and failures and will do whatever it takes to restore every broken, painful, and unjust thing in our world. When we trust this news, joy overflows from our lives into the people around us, no matter what we’re facing.

Today, you’ll get to read a passage written by David, a shepherd who became king. In it, you’ll see he’s experiencing pain and doubt, yet he can also rejoice. Why? Because he trusts God’s love, goodness, and salvation.

But what if you’re not feeling particularly joyful this Christmas? Does it mean God isn’t working in your life? No, definitely not.

But here’s the good news: God wants to help you become a joyful presence in the world around you. In the New Testament, we get a list of qualities God’s Spirit develops in our lives. These are called the fruit of the Spirit, and as you might’ve guessed, one of them is joy. This means that as we pursue closeness with God, God will fill our hearts with joy.

There’s a party coming in the future when God finishes His restorative work, heals every injury, and wipes away every tear. We can embrace lasting joy no matter what we’re going through.

Pause and Pray:

Lord, thank You for Your offer of joy. Please help me choose to accept Your offer. Help me to be thankful and to joyfully celebrate what You have done before and what You are doing now. Teach me to be obedient to You in everything I do. In Jesus’ name, amen.

My Thoughts

The emphasis added above with the color red is mine. God helps us have joy, but I think we have to choose to have an attitude of joy first. I really like the idea of focusing on the celebration that is coming in heaven. That does make it easier to have joy in a world full of turmoil and difficulties.

We can trust that God is good and has a good plan for us, no matter what is currently happening in our lives. I know that I need to focus more on my future with God and less on the daily challenges. It’s when I take my eyes off of God and His love for me that I get overwhelmed. His desire for me is joy, not a feeling of despair. So, during this week when I am visiting my sister, I plan to choose joy and focus on the big celebration that awaits all of us who know Jesus as Savior.

Prayer request: Our grandson Isaac has another scan on Monday to check for cancer again. This time, they are doing a CT with contrast dye. My husband is trying to work out a way to be with Isaac at this time, so please pray that it all works out. That is the day he is taking me to meet my niece who then takes me to NC to see my sister. But God is working things out and I hope and pray it all comes together and Harry can be with Isaac and encourage him. Thank you for your prayers.

Celebrate Jesus!

Celebrate Jesus Celebrate-Don Moen

How to Find Hope

On By vickleaIn Christmas, prayer request, Scripture, testimony, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

From the YouVersion Bible App Devotional, “Advent, Day 5”

3 Practical Ways to Find Hope

In the Bible, hope is the wholehearted, evidence-based conviction that God is making the future better than the past or present.

Hope isn’t a vague positivity or a naive optimism. Instead, true hope acknowledges the pain, problems, and dysfunctions of our world. Hope knows the worst life has to offer yet still believes God can and will create a better future.

Hope is like a lighthouse on a dark, stormy night. It doesn’t make the waves go away, but it does offer you direction and a reason to keep going.

The Bible has quite a few stories about light and darkness. Early in the Bible, God leads His people through the wilderness using a pillar of fire at night and a pillar of smoke during the day. These people had been slaves, and now they were walking across a barren desert. Yet they could have hope because they knew God was leading them to a new and better future.

But what about today? We don’t have divine pillars of smoke or fire to follow when we’re low on hope. So where do we look to find hope?

1. We find hope in friends.

When we’re feeling hopeless, we can turn to trusted people who can lend us their hope. So if you’re searching for hope, include others. Their words, stories, and guidance could be exactly what you need to renew your confidence in God’s plan.

2. We find hope in our stories.

Look back to who you were before you knew Jesus. What’s different about you? How do you live, think, and act differently? Avoid letting exceptionally bad days define your journey with Jesus. Instead, try to see the big picture. Reflecting on God’s work in your past can give you hope for your future.

3. We find hope in God’s story.

The Christmas story is one of the main events in God’s big story. In the story, we see Jesus, who is God, choose vulnerability and humility to show us His love. So when you feel hopeless about the direction of the world or the direction of your life, remember that God will do whatever it takes to make all things new.

Of course, none of these three ways to find hope are quite as dramatic as a divine pillar of fire, but they can serve the same purpose. They remind us God is present, even when life is hard. And they help us keep moving forward with confidence, no matter what storms we’re facing.

When we cling to others, reflect on our stories, and explore Scripture, we can expect to find hope. But hope can also come from unexpected places. So keep your eyes open for hopeful moments all around you.

Pause and Pray:

Lord, please be a light to me as You were to Your people in the wilderness. Thank You for dying for me while I was still a sinner so I could be united with You. Help me to set my hope on You. In Your name, amen.

My Thoughts

I cannot imagine what it would have been like to have God going before me in a pillar of cloud or fire. I suspect that I may have been so awestruck that I would not have been able to move at all unless someone else prodded me to do so.

Since we don’t have God visibly present in this way, we need to tune our spirits to see Him in other ways. We can see Him in others, in our own testimony about the past and in His Word. I think that I mostly depend on God’s Word for assurance and hope for the future. I do have friends, but most don’t know me intimately and I am not in frequent contact with anyone except our daughter. I do know that contact is important because God created us to be social beings. Thus, when I need that personal contact, I reach out to others with a phone call or a text. I have members of our small group from church who check on me and my husband often, just to make sure that we are okay and don’t need anything. And we do the same for them. It’s all about connections, isn’t it?

That’s why it’s important to connect to God and to stay that way. We shouldn’t be wandering off into the wilderness of life without Him right there with us.

Now, another prayer request. My daughter’s friend Desiree is in the hospital in Pittsburgh. She discovered this week that she has a large mass in her brain. She had brain surgery yesterday and the doctors think that there are other “specks” that they weren’t able to remove. She is having tests today. Please pray for Desiree, her husband Joel and their four children. The youngest is only eight and the oldest is fourteen. If you follow me on Facebook, I posted a GoFundMe photo of them all together. The youngest child is the most distraught and Hope, my daughter, says she is crying a lot or screaming in frustration because she wants her mommy. Joel is with Desiree, and his mom is taking care of the kids. I know that this situation didn’t surprise God, but it certainly surprised this young family, and they need as many prayers as they can get. Thank you in advance for remembering them. Please pray that God will be close to them all and give them hope.

Update: Good News, Maybe?

On By vickleaIn prayer request5 Comments

My son got Isaac’s blood tests back yesterday, or I should say, he got a printed report that a common layman without a medical degree cannot fully understand. He sent me a photo of the report and I agreed with him. At least there is nothing marked with red, which according to the legend means a critical alert. However, the results are marked in yellow (notice this?) and I read the report carefully. One sentence stood out: “Results cannot be interpreted as evidence of the absolute presence or absence of malignant disease.” So, I am not sure what that means…nothing definitive, that’s for sure. I will take it to mean that God is still working on the healing. And the doctor will interpret things fully next week when Isaac sees him again for a referral to an oncologist. Meanwhile, keep praying, please.

Note to My Blogger Friends

On By vickleaIn prayer request, Problem with WordPress9 Comments

For several days now I have been unable to comment on your posts. I am still reading them, but I cannot comment. Please know that I am still enjoying your posts and will comment again as soon as WordPress decides what is wrong and how to fix it.

I also want to ask that those of you who pray please keep our grandson in your prayers. He saw his surgeon for his follow up visit today and was told that the cancer he had is very aggressive. They will do a CT scan next week and then he has to talk to his regular doctor about getting a referral to an oncologist and possibly beginning chemotherapy. We are all devastated by this news since we were told that the surgery would take care of the problem and he would be fine once he recovered from the surgery. Please hold him up in your prayers. He is only twenty two and wants to be able to live his life, but there’s a pause here. Thank you for praying for him, his parents and me and his grandfather. We want to be encouragers for him if I can talk to him without crying.

The same week that he had his surgery, I had a precancerous large tumor removed from my colon. I cried on my husband’s shoulder tonight and told him that I would rather have cancer than for our beloved grandson to be suffering this way.

I trust God even when I don’t understand.