REJOICE

Last week my husband was trying to catch up on the yard work. As you can imagine, lots of things have fallen to the wayside since Andrew's "medical" diagnosis. My husband took a break to come inside and tell me something. With tears in his eyes he said, "God told me 'Let no one mourn for us; Let everyone REJOICE with us.'"
I said, "Yes. That's it."


Friday on our "MIRACLE DRIVE" to Shands, we prayed almost the whole drive. I had my Bible on my lap and I heard my husband, Dan, say, "Father, just give us a word for right now."
I whispered, "Yes, Lord, we need something right now. Immediately I heard in my spirit, "Psalm 97." I did not recall a particular verse from Psalm 97 but I turned to the passage and read it aloud.
It begins like this: "The Lord reigns; Let the earth rejoice..."
In verse five, I read, "The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD..."
I reminded Dan that we had been speaking to the "mountain" to be removed and cast into the sea, never to return and leave nothing in its place that God didn't design.
Verse eight: "And the daughters of Judah (praise) rejoice..."
Verses 11 -12: "Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name."
I said, "We need to fill this vehicle with rejoicing and praise."
And we did.
During Andrew's brain surgery, we gathered in the family waiting room. My husband and I, our other two children, my mother, family friends including our pastor and his wife sat reading scripture, praying and believing for a good outcome. I asked one of our friends to read Andrew's Psalm (27th) from The Message Bible. It's the version his sister put on a poster board for Andrew's room.
This same friend offered a portion from Lamentations chapter 3 from The Message.

We talked a while longer. Then I felt we needed to sing. I asked the precious group assembled with us if we could sing, "There is a River whose streams make glad the city of our God..."
Voices raised in harmony, praise and worship.
"And I will rejoice, I will rejoice and be glad."
"There is a fountain, full of Grace and it flows from Immanuel's veins.
It came and it healed me; it came and refreshed me; it came and it washed my sins away!"
"So I will rejoice; I will rejoice and be glad."

I spoke to Dr. Amy Smith yesterday and told her I had to know something: "Do you have hope for Andrew?"
She said, "Yes."
We sat and talked for several minutes and she went through her proposed plan for radiation and chemo. After hearing the hard news that even with the surgery, the type of cancer we are dealing with is very resistant to treatment, I told her I understood the reality and we will continue to place Andrew back into the Father's hands. I told her that Andrew belongs to God and we have been given the privilege to steward him and we WANT him. "We are believing for God to do what only He can do," I continued.
I added that we would continue to fight the good fight of faith and also search for every thing in the physical realm to help our boy.
She and I both had tears in our eyes. I told her, and she agreed, that God led us here on Friday and He would not let us go nor leave us.
I will REJOICE, I will REJOICE and be glad..."

I know you may be weary of praying for THE MIRACLE FOR ANDREW, but please don't give up hope and please continue to speak about him to the Father. If you prayed even once for Andrew, know that YOU have been a part of the beginning of The Miracle that saved his life on 9/11. We look forward to sharing the completion of that MIRACLE!
Love,
Melanie & family