
This has been quite the week. I don’t even know where to start with what my heart has experienced as I’m sure most of us can say. You’ve prayed fervently for our country and the election for the last many months. Myself, I continue to believe and stand on the promises, the prophesies, the words He has given us to believe in faith. It’s definitely not over by a long shot. It’s so refreshing reading the posts and texts of so many of our friends and hear they are experiencing the same peace as we are. We will stand for what we believe the Lord has shown us and not give up or give in.
The Lord has spoken so much to me in the last 7 days. We’ve been faced with challenges that have caused us to go deeper in Him. It may not seem like a big deal but it was for us. Let me tell you about it. Last Saturday, October 31, we were having a good morning as Ed was preparing to go the Legendary Bar Church we have once a month in a nearby city. I was preparing for the Harvest party and Chili contest we would be having that evening at church. As we had our breakfast and prayer time together we decided to pray for all the demonic stuff that happens on October 31. We are not afraid of that date as it is a day the Lord made and created and not the devils. But we realize so much evil happens on that day. Statically there are more younger people joining the satanic church these days than giving their lives to Jesus. We prayed, took our authority over it and was preparing for our great day in Him! Ed left to go to church and then seconds later was back in the house hollering that we needed to call the vet he had run over our dog, Summer. My heart stopped and I was beside myself for a moment and then ran out to check on her. She wasn’t right in front of his truck, not in a bad place but for some reason Ed had not seen her. I sat down beside her and stayed with her until the vet came. She definitely had some severe injuries. It was now approaching Saturday afternoon and Vet’s are open until noon. Our Vet felt it could be a broken pelvis which would need lots of time to heal. There was no way of knowing for sure until we could get an x-ray on Monday. Our niece is a Vet and she agreed to x-ray first thing Monday. We kept her comfortable and on pain meds. She did well but we knew she hurt. Monday Ed had her at the office for an x-ray at 8 am and that’s when the experience started. Her leg was broke pretty bad and needed surgery. My niece called around for an orthopedic surgeon and all the Vets she called were too busy or not wanting to mess with it. We found one surgeon in Denver who gave us a quote and we had a decision to make.
These are different times to start with, it’s a life changing election and we were praying for direction and wisdom. Summer is our 5 year old Great Pyrenees and the sweetest girl you have ever seen. She is a working dog as she protects our place. We also have a 12 year old Pyrenees. We lost our 15 year old sweet Molly dog last May and we still grieve her loss many days a week. We asked lots of questions and everyone we knew thought she could have a normal life with this surgery. We had her to the animal hospital by Monday night. Then the adventure began. She had her first surgery on Tuesday evening. We found out she was much worse than they had expected. We were on pins and needles waiting to hear how the surgery went. It was also Election Day so we spent the day in prayer! That evening we were in town and remembered what a very special friend and man of God had told us before, when things get tough throw yourself a party. So went to Texas Roadhouse to get our minds kinda off everything.
Surgery went well. But she now needed another surgery which was not in the quote. The next day they did her other leg and she was doing well for a while and then the pain became extreme again. She wasn’t doing as well. With the virus mandates we are not able to visit her and we knew that was what she needed. Daily we prayed for miracles, provision and wisdom. She has now been 4 days in an animal hospital and it is not cheap. Lord, did we miss it? Our only other choice was to put her down but we are getting into a lot of money right now. We prayed, we cried, we got into doubt and fear, we prayed more, cast the care on Him and stood in faith. At the same time all the Election stuff is going on but we kept our focus on what we knew in our hearts about the President and didn’t watch the media. Then on day 5 they decided they needed to do a CT scan to see what was happening. They also allowed us to come see her. She lit up when we came into the room and started to talk to us. We spent an hour with her and then the Dr let us know she needed another surgery. We are now 5 days in the hospital and 3 surgeries. Did we miss it? Now at the same time we are thankful for all the Lord had done, the many miracles and that this wasn’t a person. Today she had her 3rd surgery. They say she is fine. Very drugged up but peaceful and we are speaking she is on the road to healing. They are hoping she will be home on Monday or Tuesday. At the same time we are standing strong and praying for our country. Each day we had our challenges and understanding one another was right up at the top. The stress made us get a bit selfish at times.
The Lord was working on my heart. He was touching areas that could only be touched and recognized when I was facing the situations I was facing then. I have a call to pray, which we all do. Each of us have a call to minister in specific areas and I find myself praying and interceding hours a day sometimes. But in doing that I very often pick up the burden instead of coming along side of Him and partnering with Him. He’s never asked me to carry a burden in prayer but there are times it is so easy to pick up someone’s burden, my own burden, the country’s burden and try to carry the weight of it all. We’ve been praying for a country for months and now we are down to the wire. When it doesn’t look like I think it should after all the prayer in the Holy Spirit I start to wonder if I prayed enough, if I did enough, if I was being enough. It’s so easy for me to pick up a burden and try to pray it through in my own strength. I’m realizing that anytime I pick up a burden it automatically becomes something I am doing on my own. The burden isn’t mine to pick up so why do I think I need to handle it? I think it is something many of us try to do. Instead of praying in faith the prayer becomes a heavy burden that I carry around sometimes with feelings of doubt not faith. I know all this but when life happens so fast, furious and with instant decisions that need made I at times fall back into carrying the heavy burden. It’s easy to become overwhelmed with negative weight especially with family and friends and our country’s problems.
“Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Then come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me. For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear.” Matthew 11:28-30
It’s always His burden to carry and He always wants me to cast my cares on Him. “Pour out all your worries and stress upon him and leave them there, for he always tenderly cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 This is a verse I learned as a child but He has to remind me of His truth every now and then.
Then the Lord showed me how easy it is to get into whining when things aren’t happening like I know they are to be fulfilled through Him. The situation with our country has found me whining here and there. I have such a passion for others to see what is really going on in this world especially with the virus and fear deception. But in that passion I must stay in faith and not whine. The Israelites whined and complained themselves out of the Promise Land. I don’t want to do that. I’m thankful He reminds me of when I am doing that. This week there was some Righteous anger concerning the election but there was some whining and complaining too. With Summer we got to whining and complaining about the hospital not answering their phones (they are extremely busy right now), the price, her situation changing often, feeling they weren’t take good care of her, knowing they must be ripping us off financially. Those times of complaining, doubting, carrying the burdens only caused us some strife, more confusion and more fear.
“Be well balanced and always alert, because your enemy, the devil, roams around incessantly, like a roaring lion looking for its prey to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8
The Word says to be alert. There’s an enemy that acts like a lion but we know the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. When we are wallowing in our self-pity, our selfishness, bringing in strife and contentions we cannot be alert. The fake lion has no power, no authority and no business even trespassing in our lives. I know this and pray this for others but when we get run down, focused on the issue and exhausted we are not alert.
These were truths the Lord reminded of this week. I especially think the truth of not trying on my own hit the hardest. I seem to go there too often. Thinking I didn’t pray right or enough is nothing but works righteousness and I know that. I continually remind myself of who I am in Him. I know I am righteous in Him. Sometimes when I get overwhelmed that spirit of negative condemnation sneeks in before I realize it. Righteousness is our protection. I honestly praise Him daily for what He has done for me and given me and I will continue to do that no matter what is happening in this world. I hope this helped someone else also. I know there’s a few more of “me” out there. Let’s just stand strong together and we are about to see some mighty miracles!
Summer dog is healed and whole in the Name of Jesus!!