Disclaimer: This is an email I sent out in 2005 asking friends for prayer. Since then I’ve heard from so many sufferers who told me how much they help. THIS IS NOT MY CURRENT CONDITION. I’M DOING WELL. I simply want to resend them to help those who are suffering today.
Anxieties of the Night
From the night the prayers of friends carried us through a long, dark night.
As you know by now, the main source of discomfort for me and our primary concern is the “skin issue” once again. Last night was the first night off meds–pain meds, sleeping meds, antibiotic meds–every hour filled with itching, skin falling off, twinges of pain in the knee, and, as you might imagine, anxiety.
With decades of studying about, relating to, walking with, and telling others about “Our Father” in my life, I was able to focus my thoughts on a comforting phrase from the New Testament–Abba Father (Romans 8:15). This is an endearing and intimate title for God the Father that could be translated, “Father, my own dear Father.” It is the title a child uses to relate to a father when the child knows that he or she is dear to Him, the one He delights in.
So, last night was so much more than a night of malaise, it was a night I spent on my Father’s lap, talking with Him about my fears, feelings, and hurts. It is the upside of suffering for the child of God–deepening intimacy with Abba Father.
