Day 14: Hear the cry of the Broken

It was one of those days yesterday.  The kind where even the blue sky cannot chase away the grey in your heart. I offered my heart to God, asking for encouragement, and found sweet words from the heart of a friend to comfort me. Read Joy's post, "Beauty: When beauty brushes by on butterfly wings" from yesterday, and you'll see how God brought the thought of butterflies again to lift my gaze to Him. 

But the Word in my heart did not change, and WAIT continued to be the only direction or purpose I could cling to.  So, in spite of my questions, 

When will the hospital call to schedule the biopsy?

How can our budget handle these continuous additions?

Where will my pain levels climb through all these added stresses?

I chose to accept God's call, and lean in to the WAITING.

And then the washing machine decided to quit working.

Have you been there? Facing the final straw that tries to close off your heart? 

When the small service company was able to send someone within just a few hours, I started to suspect that God had something going on with all of this, and I had better pay attention.  And when the repairman walked through the door, and a JOY at seeing him rose in my heart . . . well, I knew that the Holy Spirit was giving me one of His nudges.

I asked him how he had been doing, because I remembered that a year and a half ago, when he was last here, I had shared about my Rheumatoid Arthritis, and he had shared a little about his own journey with Chronic Illness and Multiple Sclerosis. Over this last year, God had brought him to my mind frequently, and I had prayed for him. So,when he replied that he had had a rough year, and I told him about my prayers, something changed within his countenance, and he began to tell me just how rough his year had been.

This tough almost-retirement-age strong worker, had been brought to his knees by a viscous nerve-damaged pain.  In the middle of almost being suicidal because the pain was unbearable, he had cried out to God, and asked Him for help. And he told me that He had said to God that if He found a way to get him through this, that he would find a way to pay it forward, giving back for the help that had been offered to him.  And, a way did open up! After being told again and again that there was no hope for him, a different neurosurgeon was willing to try a new procedure, one that ultimately brought total pain relief to this man.  He said to me, "You will never know how much your prayers mean to me," and repaired our washing machine at no charge.  

And again, it was the hug that he offered, (how many repairman have you hugged today?) as he walked out the door, that caused the tears to flow over my face. 

We are not walking alone through these days. Whatever the Season you now face, there is a purpose to your path

that is meant to be shared.

And there are prayers to be offered that only

YOU

can speak.

What if I had ignored God's nudge to pray for that repairman, saying that he was only a brief acquaintance, and 

what good could my prayers possibly have, anyway?

Oh, I am sure that God would have answered that man's cry, but I would have missed out on sharing the miracle,

and finding God's comfort for my own heart 

in the process.

If you are the one hearing God's nudge to pray,

or if you are the one crying out for mercy,

please know that my prayers go out for you today,

my friend.  

 

Psalm 140:6 (NIV) I say to the Lord, “You are my God.” Hear, Lord, my cry for mercy.

Perhaps this song will bless you as it has blessed me:

(And, oh, right after the repairman left, the hospital called to schedule my Biopsy for next Monday. How's that for God's timing?)

Today is Day 14 for the #Write31Days Challenge

and this journey of #31Days of Listening with Chronic Illness

My heart is blessed that you are here with me.

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