One Thing I Ask

"...he prayed earnestly..." (James 5:17).

The men and women in history who devoted themselves to prayer witnessed the incredible power of God. They stand as examples of how God works through prayer only after they stood among their peers living a life of faith and prayer. When James writes about prayer, he speaks about a man of faith and prayer. Elijah prayed earnestly. While James references a specific time and need in the life of Elijah in which he prayed earnestly, I believe this is a characteristic statement concerning the life of Elijah.

So often we think about prayer. We talk about prayer. We may even desire to more fervently pray. Yet little changes in our lives in this area.

Through this blog, I have sought to do multiple things. First, to allow Jesus Christ to be lifted high even through the most difficult of days and circumstances. Second, to share information with those who want to journey, as much as is possible, with our family. Third, to give individuals who are committed to earnestly pray for us the most recent needs (as I know them, yet I don't always know for what or how to pray).

It's for that third reason I write now, though I pray the Lord will be glorified as I share information.

Micah spent 9 days in the hospital coming home this past Saturday afternoon. A joy and a relief to have everyone ONCE AGAIN in the same house and to not have to be in the hospital. However, Micah returned to Duke today for a follow-up and is currently being admitted.

During Micah's hospital stay, his abdomen became distended. The explanation for this remained a mystery. There was no fluid collection that showed up on the ultrasound or x-rays. But even through yesterday and today it remained as large if not larger. Today when Sarah took him to Duke, the ultrasound revealed that the portal vein, the main vein drains blood from the liver is clotted. The explanation for the problem. We praise the Lord for revealing this to the doctors.

The solution is one of two things: Micah goes on a heparin drip for a day or two to hopefully dissolve the clot or the doctors will have to go in to try to open it up. If the first does not work tomorrow or Wednesday, Micah will be scheduled for the surgical procedure. He will then spend three days in the PICU where he will be kept asleep to minimize the risk of bleeding.

I use to say I love riding roller-coasters. Then I began to say I love roller-coasters except when it is through life's circumstances. I'm almost ready to scrap anything with "roller-coaster" in it.

It seems we remain in this cycle. We day up; one day down. And you never know from day to day where you are heading.

So one thing I ask is for you not to talk about praying for us and Micah. But I ask for you, if just for 30 seconds, to PLEASE, PLEASE pray the Lord will remove the clot, allow the blockage of the bile duct to be gone and for Micah to have a plethora of good, healthy days minus the hospitalizations in which he can develop and grow.

On Saturday night as we read the Bible story for the evening and got ready to pray Isaac said, "Momma. I don't want Micah to go back to the hospital." It's hard. It's just hard. And I know God is at work and He will be glorified and He certainly is shaping me. But it's hard.

One thing I ask: Please pray!