God's Will Be Done

 Job 42:2 "I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted."

Tomorrow is surgery day. We had a hiccup today when we showed up for Wayne's pre-op work. We were told we could just walk in, but the front desk told us we needed an appointment. Thankfully, they were able to squeeze us in, but not before causing my blood pressure to momentarily rise. Surgery is scheduled around 7:30am CDT tomorrow morning. We have to show up at the hospital at 5:15am for an MRI and then we will go from there. I will keep this page updated throughout the day. 

Wayne has been working on preparing himself for surgery. He trimmed his hair and beard in preparation for surgery. Wayne also wrote a pretty ambitious to-do list, which included eating steak every night. Amazingly, we finished almost everything on the list. Anything that we didn't get to, Shan is working on this week while I am in Chicago (see pictures below). 

We have been overwhelmed by the love and support of so many of you. We have received meals, gift cards, snacks, and so much love!! Most importantly, we have had so many people praying for us. Our church prayed over Wayne and anointed him with oil, our Celebrate Recovery family prayed over Wayne, some of our best friends from our days at Moody Bible Institute drove to KY and prayed/zoomed with other friends, friends from our old church prayed over Wayne tonight on a zoom call, and our old church (St Paul's Bible Church) has a 24 hour prayer team for Wayne. To try to express in words what all of these prayers mean to us falls short. Wayne and I have said that if God's will is to take Wayne home, it isn't from a lack of fellow believers storming the gates of heaven on our behalf. 

Wayne and I are trusting our faithful God's will to be done. Whether that is healing this side of heaven which gives us more time with him, or a complete healing by taking him home. We know that God's will is perfect and His plan is perfect. We may not understand it, but we trust Him completely with whatever He decides is best for His glory. I am always amazed at how God moves and teaches me things along this path. Two weeks ago, on the same day, within an hour of each other, I received the link to this song. 

A week ago, my sister sent me this clip from The Chosen. I watched in amazement as I listened and could hear my own thoughts and battles being played out on the screen. I know that God is more than capable of healing Wayne. He has healed in the past and He is the same God, but is that what He is going to do? I do not know what God will do, but I do know that whatever path He has chosen for us, it will be something that will glorify and honor Him. That is all we desire to do...glorify God with our lives. If it takes walking this road of suffering and difficulty to do that, then that is what we will do. 

Finally, because I am slow like Peter, a third thing God showed me was a friend's post that she shared on Facebook. It is written by Kimberly Henderson of Proverbs 31 Ministries. Here is what she wrote: 

I would have pulled Joseph out. Out of that pit. Out of that prison. Out of that pain. And I would have cheated nations out of the one God would use to deliver them from famine.

I would have pulled David out. Out of Saul’s spear-throwing presence. Out of the caves he hid away in. Out of the pain of rejection. And I would have cheated Israel out of a God-hearted king.

I would have pulled Esther out. Out of being snatched from her only family. Out of being placed in a position she never asked for. Out of the path of a vicious, power-hungry foe. And I would have cheated a people out of the woman God would use to save their very lives.

And I would have pulled Jesus off. Off of the cross. Off of the road that led to suffering and pain. Off of the path that would mean nakedness and beatings, nails and thorns. And I would have cheated the entire world out of a Savior. Out of salvation. Out of an eternity filled with no more suffering and no more pain.

And oh friend. I want to pull you out. I want to change your path. I want to stop your pain. But right now I know I would be wrong. I would be out of line. I would be cheating you and cheating the world out of so much good. Because God knows. He knows the good this pain will produce.

He knows the beauty this hard will grow. He’s watching over you and keeping you even in the midst of this. And He’s promising you that you can trust Him. Even when it all feels like more than you can bear.

So instead of trying to pull you out, I’m lifting you up. I’m kneeling before the Father and I’m asking Him to give you strength. To give you hope. I’m asking Him to protect you and to move you when the time is right. I’m asking Him to help you stay prayerful and discerning. I’m asking Him how I can best love you and be a help to you. And I’m believing He’s going to use your life in powerful and beautiful ways. Ways that will leave your heart grateful and humbly thankful for this road you’ve been on.

© Kimberly D. Henderson, 2017

Isn't that beautiful? It spoke so deeply to me, along with the other two things that were shared with me. I don't know what God is trying to teach me through these things, but maybe the lesson is also for one of you. We all have trials and struggles in life, it is part of the human condition. All I can tell you is that life is hopeless without Jesus! Regardless of how God answers all of these prayers, we know that He is good, He is faithful, and He has a perfect, sovereign plan. We may not understand this side of heaven, but we can rest and trust in Him. 

Church leaders praying over Wayne.

Moody friends

Friends from our years in Oak Lawn/Worth

An example of God's sovereign plan occurred in 2019 when Wayne was matched up with a man from China to be his English partner. Although their time in America was cut short due to COVID, a life-long friendship has taken place. This is our family in China. We are not related by blood, but they faithfully meet with us every week and we have grown to love them as part of our own family. God knew that this relationship would develop and that is only one of many reasons why God wasn't down with Wayne 8 years ago.

This morning Wayne met up with some our good friends over the years. Wayne wanted to eat at least one more time at Flapjacks and we made it happen. The fellowship and laughter was good medicine this morning. 

This is Lemarc, who is like a son to Wayne. Wayne shared an office at Moody with his grandma. They would spend hours together playing basketball, studying theology, and playing Tecmo Bowl. I feel old whenever I see Lemarc. I still see him as a teenager, and he clearly is not a teenager anymore.

Our best friend and old pastor from Chicago, Jason, joined us for breakfast. His family so lovingly accommodates us every trip to Chicago. We love your family and appreciate all that you and Sue have done and do for our family!!

Wayne grew my orchid collection this past week with the new violet orchids. I think I'm done with new orchids...my counter cannot handle anymore.

We spent Saturday with family celebrating Easter. Abigail joined us for a few days so that she could see Wayne before surgery.

Our two year project to create additional space in our yard is finally complete!! This was hours and hours of manual labor, but the end results are worth it. 

As Wayne is preparing for bed, I cannot help but once again thank everyone for their love, support, and prayers. We could not do this without Jesus or without the body of Christ supporting us. We love all of you and appreciate each one of you. Please just continue to pray for God's will to be done, for Him to be glorified, and for Wayne's surgery to be successful tomorrow. I will update throughout the day tomorrow to keep everyone informed.