Thursday

It's Thursday. The brass tacks: Still in the ICU; on 6 liters of 70% flow oxygen; talking periodically, but it's hard to tell *who* he's talking to since his hearing is awful; given the content of the conversations he has with himself, we can tell he's obsessing over food (eg, my MIL said that overnight he said things like 'no, you have to *slice* the bagel first' and 'are we making chocolate chip cookies?'); is on a diet of purees because he has trouble chewing and swallowing (there's no known reason for this as his scans show NOTHing in that area that should be causing an issue); is fairly hopped up on pain meds; the culture of his CSF never grew anything, so they no longer think it's meningitis but something else they can't identify (nice, right?) in addition to a condition called PRESS (which is high blood pressure-induced swelling (but of course, they don't know why his BP is so high, either). I can tell he's still in there; he's just very uncomfortable and a bit out of it. The breathing thing is confusing the team; they can't figure out why he's having issues but are actively trying to figure it out. Phew. I think that's it for the basics. There's a LOT LOT LOT more I could say, but a lot of it's just static.

Me? After much confirmation, I'm Standing Still. That's right. I'm standing still and resting in God's plentiful promises that He will prosper us --including Logan-- and not harm us --yes, still including Logan. Hard at times? You betcha. But I believe --firmly now-- that God is actively fighting this battle for us and for Logan. My job is to stand here not relying on my OWN wavering measure of faith, but on God's *neverending* faithfulness to us. That's right: God's faithfulnness. The concept's really been hammered into me in recent days; I've been particularly --and repeatedly-- drawn to Hebrews 10:23, which says "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful". Unswervingly. Not moving at all. With great resistence to temptations and influences that would typically take me down. I find it much easier to exercise FAITH when I believe that the Maker is FAITHFUL. Now that's good news. When He wants me to do things, He tells me, which brings me to my next item.

Over the past few weeks, I've read healing scriptures from the Bible over Logan several times a day. They bring me a lot of comfort and a great sense of peace, and I think --as the Bible says-- that they also bring health to the flesh. So what I'd like to do --what I feel called to do-- is to arrange for a sort of marathon of healing scripture reading for Logan. I know you're not all here to read over him, to physically touch him as you read, but that's okay. If you'd be willing to take part --read and really focus on, absorb, understand, meditate on the list I post below-- let me know either privately or by a comment here, and I'll put together a schedule of sorts. I know that those overnight shifts will be hard to fill, so if I need to take them myself, I will. And I should also clarify that I'm just asking you to pray from wherever you're located. He's in the ICU and has visitor limitations as it is. Plus God knows intentionality when He hears it. :)

I should say something. I'm doing this as an act of obedience because I think God wants me to do it, and not because I think a bunch of us praying and meditating on these verses will force His hand. I DO, however, believe that there's tremendous, earth-shaking power in the Word. So let's put it to use.
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Exodus 23:25
Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20
This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

I Kings 8:56
Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses.

Psalm 91:16
With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.

Psalm 103:3
Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.

Psalm 107:20
He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.

Psalm 118:17
I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done.

Proverbs 4:20-23
My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body.

Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 53:4-5
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Jeremiah 1:12
The LORD said to me, "You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled."

Jeremiah 30:17
But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,' declares the LORD, `because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.'

Joel 3:10
Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, `I am strong!`

Nahum 1:9
Whatever they plot against the LORD he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time.


Matthew 8:2-3
A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.

Matthew 8:17
This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases."

Matthew 18:18-19
"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.

Matthew 21:21
Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, `Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done.

Mark 11:23-24
"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, `Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Mark 16:17-18
And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Romans 4:17-21
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead--since he was about a hundred years old--and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

Romans 8:11
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

II Corinthians 10:4-5
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Galatians 3:13-14
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Ephesians 6:10-17
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Philippians 2:13
...for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

II Timothy 1:7
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:35
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

Hebrews 11:11
By faith Abraham, even though he was past age--and Sarah herself was barren--was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise.

Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

James 5:14-15
Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

I Peter 2:24
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

I John 3:21-22
Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.

III John 2
Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.

Revelations 12:11
They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.