God knows how often I pray for you.
Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God.
Romans 1:9
Awakening early one morning, I found that my much-loved but ailing 16 year-old cat Daniel had taken a turn for the worse. I attended to his needs as best I could, and then went back to bed.
Sleep eluded me as I mulled over his condition. Grieved that I was losing my longtime companion and pained at his suffering, I asked the Lord for wisdom about what to do for Daniel. I needed God’s comfort and peace. Finally I got up, dressed and went to our church for Tuesday morning prayer time.
When I got there, my friend Cindy came up to me and said "Pam, you have been on my mind since early this morning and I have felt compelled to pray for you. I almost called you. Is everything all right?" I dissolved into tears as she hugged me.
Although concerned and saddened by Daniel’s poor health, that was not the cause of my tears. I cried at the overwhelming realization that God truly cared for me and knew when I was troubled. He loved me enough to wake my friend and prompt her to pray for me at the hour I needed it most.
The events of that morning impressed upon me the importance of praying for others when God brings them to my mind. I don’t have to know the specifics; I just have to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Only God knows just how much that person may need His hand of comfort and healing that day.
Galations 6:2 encourages us to share each other's burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. In light of this scripture, I ask you to help shoulder a huge load for my friends, Cheryl and Frank. Frank has been diagnosed with a rare, treatment-resistant form of multiple myeloma—cancer of the plasma cells in bone marrow. Frank will be having an autologous stem cell transplant that involves harvesting Frank’s own stem cells, subjecting Frank to very heavy duty chemo, and then re-infusing the harvested stem cells. This process is currently scheduled to begin Sunday, Sept 25th. PLEASE pray that they can harvest enough stem cells to do the transplant!! That is the first huge step.
Cheryl said that each time she sends out an update, she and Frank are overcome by the thoughts of all the prayers and the love and support surrounding them from SO many places and SO many special people...some they don't even know! I covet your prayers for these friends, as you and I know that the prayers of the body of Christ are very powerful!
Thank you!
Pam
©2011 Pamela D. Williams
