Ups and downs and ups

Since the last post, the general level of things has been stable, and the general trend has been upward - Praise the Lord!

Although not strong, and therefore still unable to do very much, Sue has been feeling quite well in herself; and her hair continues to grow, which adds a psychological boost. For the weekend of 16th/17th June, both our daughters were home; it was lovely to see them together, and they saw a difference in Sue as they had not seen her for a while. In addition, Sue felt well enough to go to chapel on that Sunday morning, the first time since November/December last year,and received a very warm welcome from the friends there. Truly God is good!

Last weekend (23rd/24th June) was not so good however. She started getting stomach pains on the Saturday; initially we thought it might be indigestion, but it persisted, and she was back on the liquid painkiller, with a certain amount of fear building up. As it was still there on the Monday, she called the doctor, who came and gave her some more pills of a different sort; and thankfully by Tuesday the pain had gone again.

Yesterday the doctor telephoned, to see how she was - which was kind of him. However, even kinder was the fact that, in view of the pain, he thought it would be sensible to see if the results of the scan on 14th June were available - just in case there was any evidence of tumour growth to account for the pain. (We did not expect to get the results until we see the consultant on July 5th.) He was pleased to tell Sue that he had been told the scan results were good,with no evidence of further cancer development. We were pleased too!

So as we face the visit to the consultant we do so with less fear and more peace. We have no idea what he will say, or what the future holds; but join us in prasing the Lord for His kindness and His mercy for - as always - "We praise Him for all that is past, and trust Him for all that's to come!"

Now we wait....

We duly went for a scan on Thursday. The preparation takes about an hour, during which Sue has to drink a bottle of special white liquid (aniseed tasting I believe!); and then, towards the end of that hour, one of the assistants comes and puts her in a cubicle so she can get changed into one of the hospital gowns, which tie up at the back. She was however wearing a long cardigan, which they suggested she kept on, as it was not very warm yesterday.

In the event, it was just as well that she did, as she was waiting, in her cardigan and gown, when the fire alarm went off -- and the department had to be evacuated.....

It was a false alarm, caused by some of the workmen in the Department (there is a lot of building work going on); but of course they have to take all such events seriously. Mercifully it was not raining at the time! We were eventually allowed back in, and then the scan itself only took about 10 minutes.

Now, after waiting for the day of the scan, we have to wait for the results, which (unless they call us in earlier) we will find out when we attend the hospital for the next scheduled appointment on July 5.

But thinking of waiting made me think of a variety of scriptures, which in a way fall into a variety of groups. There are some which show an attitude of waiting patiently for the Lord to act on our behalf:-

Psa 37:7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him:
Psa 62:5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

There are others that are more about waiting on the Lord for needed (and promised) grace mercy and strength for all that He sends into our lives :-

Psa 25:5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
Psa 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
Psa 130:5 I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
Isa 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Lam 3:25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

And then of course there are those that encourage us to look forward with eagerness, and preparedness, for the great day when we shall see Him!:-

Isa 8:17 And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.
Luk 12:36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
1Th 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
Jas 5:8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

What a day that will be! What a prospect it is! and in comparison, what is a few days wait for test results, whatever they show?

But, Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming, we wait;
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
O trump of the angel! O voice of the Lord!
Blesséd hope! Blesséd rest of my soul!
Horatio Gates Spafford, 1828-88

Interlude III

In one sense nothing is happening at the moment. We are still having a chemo break; the next "booking" is for a scan on June 14th, and then back to see the doctor on July 5th (unless called in early when scan results available - we shall see).

But in reality we have much to thank the Lord for. There is the emotional /psychological effect of Sue's hair starting to grow again! There is also a measure of physical improvement; she continues to be quite bright in herself, not much pain recently, and able to go for a short walk last Saturday. She is able to read a little too.

But we would not forget that there are the mercies of each new day - so often taken for granted

"It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in Him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD"( Lam 3:23-26)

We are therefore seeking to "rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him", and also to "praise Him for all that is past, and trust Him for all that's to come".



Look back, my soul, and see
The One who died for thee;
Bearing God's wrath upon the cross,
That He might set thee free.

Look up and see Him there,
The Father's Son enthroned;
The One who reigns in glory now,
Having for sin atoned.

Look down and see the hell
From which He hath saved thee;
Look round and wonder, why such grace
Should choose to look on thee ?

Look forward to seeing Him!
When world and life shall wane,
We'll praise for ever, and will love
The Lamb for sinners slain.