Good morning…

Yesterday Ben DeShetler’s Caring Bridge post was short, simple, smiling: “Still NED! In case you haven’t heard, Audrey is still NED!!! We are still waiting on the bone marrow results but they said probably not to worry. I’ll post more later as I find out.”

On 4.13.17, my “Fab 5 friends” post told the story of my lifelong journey with my friend Jennifer who walks beside her daughter Audrey (11) as she struggles to survive cancer. Jennifer’s husband, Ben, and their son Scott (13) huddle together as a close knit clan, facing joys and sorrows with an inner strength only God can provide. In my post, I shared that Jennifer and Audrey were at Sloan Kettering in NYC that day, and we requested one specific prayer: that Audrey’s scan results reveal N.E.D., no evidence of disease. N.E.D. would mean this cutting edge, life-saving trial treatment is working to heal Audrey’s young body.

Many of you, from different states, from different walks of life, from different places on your own faith journey wrote to me, “I am praying for Audrey.” “Praying for N.E.D.” “What a privilege to pray for Audrey.” I let Jennifer know that the web of prayer support extended far and wide, with many, many of us calling out to God in surround sound, begging for N.E.D. Our bold, specific prayer was answered as we had hoped. We received our heartfelt request, three sweet, little letters.

So, what happens next? We open our Bible and turn to a story found in Luke 17:11-19 (AMP).

While Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing [along the border] between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a village, He was met by ten lepers who stood at a distance; and they raised their voices and called out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were [miraculously] healed and made clean. One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying and praising and honoring God with a loud voice; and he lay face downward at Jesus’ feet, thanking Him [over and over]. He was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten [of you] cleansed? Where are the [other] nine? Was there no one found to return and to give thanks and praise to God, except this foreigner?” Jesus said to him, “Get up and go [on your way]. Your faith [your personal trust in Me and your confidence in God’s power] has restored you to health.”

Together, from all distances, we raised our voices and called out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on Audrey. Show Your healing power through N.E.D.!” Jesus looked lovingly upon Audrey. He said, “Go and show yourself to the scan machine.” And as she went, she was miraculously healed and made clean. We are all witnesses to God’s healing power in Audrey’s life. Now what do we do?

Will we be like the nine who take God’s power for granted, enter back into “same ole, same ole,” walking away from Jesus without giving God our profuse praise? Or will we be like the one who sees the healing, turns back, glorifying and praising and honoring God with a loud voice, laying face downward at Jesus’ feet, thanking Him over and over? When we give thanks to God over and over and over again for daily miracles, big and small, we get up transformed and we go on our way.

Our faith, our personal trust in Jesus, and our confidence in God’s power is restoring us to health, day after day.

…Sue…