Rachel's Road......

Journal

Friday, June 27, 2008 12:52 AM CDT

Summer is in full swing and I think we're missing her all the more. I finally finished the memory books of Rachel for six of her friends. I've given four of the girls their books along with as many of Rachel's stuffed animals as they wanted (or their mothers would let them have!) along with each getting one of Rachel's blankets that she used at the hospital. Now I get to start on books for her brothers and her cousin ... and one for Mark and I, too! The thought of it is a bit overwhelming. I'm thinking of doing some things in digital books.

I'm doing a Beth Moore Bible study this summer with a group of very faithful and faith-driven women. We're studying the book of Daniel. A couple of weeks ago we were studying God's deliverance and the different ways that he delivers his children. We were studying Daniel chapter 3 about Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego being willing to be thrown into a fiery furnace versus worshiping an image of gold. They announced to King Nebuchadnezzar that they didn't need to defend themselves before him and that the God they served was able to save them and that he could rescue them, but even if God didn't rescue them that they would never serve the King's gods. It was interesting to see their understanding that God may not choose to deliver them from that fiery furnace but they knew that no matter what he would deliver them through it in one way or another.

The study showed us how God has three kinds of deliverance from any trial (or a fire). God can deliver us from from the fire. An example would be that we've just been diagnosed with a tumor. We don't know if the tumor is malignant or not. We are sent home with the next appointment being for a pre-surgery scan. When we have that scan, we find that the tumor is gone. God has delivered us from that fire. We don't need surgery. We don't have to worry about it being cancerous. The trial is over. Our faith is built.

Or, rather than choosing to deliver us FROM the fire, God may choose to deliver us THROUGH the fire. That's where we find that that tumor is malignant and we must endure the ravages of treatment for as long as it takes to rid ourselves of it. We lean on God through the process and he delivers us through the trial. We prevail. Our faith is refined.

Then there's one more. Sometimes we aren't delivered from the fire, nor are we delivered through the fire. Sometimes we are delivered BY the fire straight into His arms. Our faith is perfected.

I guess, like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, we've been delivered through the fire. Rachel got the ultimate deliverance. It almost sounds wrong to say that I didn't want her faith perfected but only refined!

So now we walk through the fire of grief. And even though we feel we have no choices, we do. Do we bow down to the gods of bitterness, doubt, unbelief, anger, despair, and self-pity because we feel that God didn't come through for us or do we have our circumstances bow down and be servants to God?

I really don't enjoy refinement of faith. It can really hurt.

Specific Prayers:
~For knowledge and understanding of God's Word.
~That we feel God's loving arms around us as we continue to have our faith refined through this trial.

CANCER SUCKS!!!!!

Hospital Information:

There is no longer a need for a hospital
As Rachel is currently living in the arms of Jesus

Links:

E-mail Author: FlyingCook@aol.com

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