Don’t Be Afraid to Ask!

One of the primary lessons the Lord has taught me through this long battle with lymphoma is this: Don’t be afraid to ask people to pray for specific relief from your pain. I sent this blog out three years ago when the malaise of this disease was pretty bad:

As a young pastor I wondered at the weird prayer requests I received from people who were suffering. When I asked, “How can I pray for you?” the answer was often so trivial and specific from my perspective, that I almost felt like I was wasting a good prayer!

Now that I have experienced such personal suffering, I get it. Physical suffering demands all your attention. I use to think I would be a better man than that. But I’m here to tell you that this airborne soldier and firefighter becomes so preoccupied with relentless pain that it is extremely difficult at times to think beyond whatever hurts that day.

I Asked!

So here is my trivial and specific prayer for today: Pray for my feet!

That’s right, my feet. This rash has moved to my extremities. Now my feet look more like swollen pink clubs than what I’m used to seeing at the end of my legs.

And it hurts.

And I can’t wear shoes.

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When I hear that someone has just received devastating news like a bad diagnosis, a runaway child, a wayward spouse, or the death of a loved one, this is the letter I send them. This specific letter is the one I sent to our friend, Joni Burchett. The same lady you read about in When God Breaks Your Hear, who lost the little girl,  was later diagnosed with breast cancer.

Dear Joni,

I don’t know if I told you, but they took me off the cancer meds after six years! Our prayer has been, “Please let Ed live and serve.” Now it has changed, “Please let Ed live and serve without the meds.”

I say this to encourage you. The dailyness of this makes it so hard to see past the weakness and the disappointment. Here is a sentence the Lord gave me when I was dying and fighting for one more day of life: I am as alive today as anyone. He helped me realize that until I take my last breath, He still has plans for me (Ephesians 2:10) and I could not conclude that this was it. So, I got up, and asked Him for strength for the next minute, sometimes for every minute for a couple of days. Then for the next hour, the next day, the next week…

I’m Still Here!

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Ten Years of Antibiotics

Since my battle with this chronic lymphoma began ten years ago, I have faced a discouraging sequence of events every time I caught a common cold: sore-throat, runny nose, cough, lung infection, bronchitis, trip to the doctor, ten-day regimen of nuclear antibiotics…three weeks later…praying that I don’t catch another cold.

But Not This Time!

Two weeks ago I noticed my throat feeling scratchy during the Sunday sermon. “Oh no, here we go again.”

Then the runny nose…

Then…nothing!

I got better.

Without antibiotics.

Without a trip to the doctor.

Without spending the usual couple of hundred dollars in deductibles.

I just got better. My doctors tell me my immune system is getting stronger.

First Time in Ten Years!

I’m telling you this story to encourage you. I especially want to encourage those of you dealing with chronic and discouraging health problems.

You never know what God might do.

So keep doing what your doctors say, and keep asking the Lord to deliver you from this malaise.

You never know.

Ten years later, you may be rejoicing in His answer as much as I am today.

My Daily Battle

Most of the time I’m fine with the “big” temptations like stealing and murder. I’ve felt like murdering a few petty, controlling, divisive, and mean Christians over the years, but never actually contemplated the act. The last time I actually stole something I was 18. So I’ve been doing pretty good in the murder/stealing category of sins for over forty years.

Yet hardly a day goes by that I don’t struggle with the sins of dissatisfaction and disappointment. Suddenly I realize that here I am again, dissatisfied with God’s provision or disappointed in His plan. The realization usually comes through one of my famous “if-only” thoughts or sentences.

The “If-Only” Sins

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Today is the second day of the Haven Today broadcast — you can catch part two of the interview with Judy and me on KKLA 99.5 here in Los Angeles tonight at 9:30PM or go to www.haventoday.org  to download both day’s programs.

If you have a minute though right now, our friend Charles posted a You Tube video which I invite you to watch . . . it’s short, straight-to-the-point and depicts a very signficant moment in my life: http://www.haventoday.org/video-ed-underwood-gd-399.html