Praise His Name
Sheri Easter has been on Joni Lamb's show on the Daystar network. She was talking about her battle with cancer and how she has been cancer free for three years. I celebrate with her. Cancer is a horrible disease. There are so many types of it and some kinds are operable and others all they can do is treat it.
When you see Sheri Easter in concert as I did two years ago, she looks the same except in the eyes. I saw the same thing when my mom was in remisson. It was the look of having been through something undescrible , but somehow surviving it.
While my mom went through her cancer treatments, I learned to praise God for the things we take for granted. Like waking up in the morning in your right mind. We take that for granted, that when we wake up, we know where we are and we know where the bathroom is and we know what to do when we get there. I had to watch my mom wake up not knowing where she was, she accused my dad of poisoning her, she couldn't find the bathroom and when she did she didn't know what to do when she got there. This all was due to side effects of medication and treatments she took for cancer. My mom had bone cancer. I began to thank God for being able to actually sit and enjoy a meal. She said that the treatments changed the taste of food and she didn't enjoy the food. There are so many little things we take for granted each day. When you see someone suffering, you thank God for the little victories.
I saw Sheri Easter in concert at Pipestem State Park in 2001. They sang "Praise His Name". She told the story about how her dad died. Even when the bad things happen, God is there. I cried all the way through the song, because my mom was going through chemo at the time. Nobody really prepared us for what we had to deal with. They had plently of suggestions on where she could go for treatment. People react to adversity differently. I wasn't sure how to deal with it. Nobody understands this road unless you have walked it. When you have a loved one sick, you don't function on all cylinders. At work if I forgot something, which I did, I was told I needed to get it together. Did I want a leave of absence? I should use work as an escape. Like I said, unless you have walked this road, you don't know how the other person feels. I almost walked away from God during this time. When I heard "Praise His Name", I realized if I walked away, I would be hurting no one else, but myself.
God didn't promise us that we would never have problems. He did say that He would never leave us nor forsake us, that He would be with us always. He didn't promise that we wouldn't have battles. He did promise that "No weapon formed against us would prosper," that He would go before us in battle. He didn't promise us that life would be fair. He promised us that the things that are over our head are under His feet. He said that there is nothing impossible with Him. You might have to look for ways to praise Him.
After my mom died. I knew God was merciful in the way she died. She was at home as she wanted to be. She was scheduled for a procedure and Sharon and I began to talk. We came to the conclusion, that it was better that she died at home instead of us being in a waiting room and someone coming out saying, she didn't make it. When my job was eliminated after 33 years, I praised God because all the stress I was under, when I left. I had my mind. I had a family who loved and was concerned for me. I had a church family that was working behind the scenes to see if it was anything that could be done legally. Praising God confounds the enemy. When you praise God in spite of, Satan can't figure out why. He is confused. There was a minister at the church who said, when the devil throws everything at you, but the kitchen sink, tell him to go ahead and throw the sink. You just keep praising God, because there is nothing in your life that God doesn't allow. Sometimes, you are under consideration. As in Jobs case. Sometimes it is God testing us. Sometimes it is a full satanic assault to get your eyes off of God. I remember as a young Christian going through something and someone gave me a poster that said, "Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off of the goal". It is true...whatever you are facing, Praise His Name!! Even in the small things.
When you see Sheri Easter in concert as I did two years ago, she looks the same except in the eyes. I saw the same thing when my mom was in remisson. It was the look of having been through something undescrible , but somehow surviving it.
While my mom went through her cancer treatments, I learned to praise God for the things we take for granted. Like waking up in the morning in your right mind. We take that for granted, that when we wake up, we know where we are and we know where the bathroom is and we know what to do when we get there. I had to watch my mom wake up not knowing where she was, she accused my dad of poisoning her, she couldn't find the bathroom and when she did she didn't know what to do when she got there. This all was due to side effects of medication and treatments she took for cancer. My mom had bone cancer. I began to thank God for being able to actually sit and enjoy a meal. She said that the treatments changed the taste of food and she didn't enjoy the food. There are so many little things we take for granted each day. When you see someone suffering, you thank God for the little victories.
I saw Sheri Easter in concert at Pipestem State Park in 2001. They sang "Praise His Name". She told the story about how her dad died. Even when the bad things happen, God is there. I cried all the way through the song, because my mom was going through chemo at the time. Nobody really prepared us for what we had to deal with. They had plently of suggestions on where she could go for treatment. People react to adversity differently. I wasn't sure how to deal with it. Nobody understands this road unless you have walked it. When you have a loved one sick, you don't function on all cylinders. At work if I forgot something, which I did, I was told I needed to get it together. Did I want a leave of absence? I should use work as an escape. Like I said, unless you have walked this road, you don't know how the other person feels. I almost walked away from God during this time. When I heard "Praise His Name", I realized if I walked away, I would be hurting no one else, but myself.
God didn't promise us that we would never have problems. He did say that He would never leave us nor forsake us, that He would be with us always. He didn't promise that we wouldn't have battles. He did promise that "No weapon formed against us would prosper," that He would go before us in battle. He didn't promise us that life would be fair. He promised us that the things that are over our head are under His feet. He said that there is nothing impossible with Him. You might have to look for ways to praise Him.
After my mom died. I knew God was merciful in the way she died. She was at home as she wanted to be. She was scheduled for a procedure and Sharon and I began to talk. We came to the conclusion, that it was better that she died at home instead of us being in a waiting room and someone coming out saying, she didn't make it. When my job was eliminated after 33 years, I praised God because all the stress I was under, when I left. I had my mind. I had a family who loved and was concerned for me. I had a church family that was working behind the scenes to see if it was anything that could be done legally. Praising God confounds the enemy. When you praise God in spite of, Satan can't figure out why. He is confused. There was a minister at the church who said, when the devil throws everything at you, but the kitchen sink, tell him to go ahead and throw the sink. You just keep praising God, because there is nothing in your life that God doesn't allow. Sometimes, you are under consideration. As in Jobs case. Sometimes it is God testing us. Sometimes it is a full satanic assault to get your eyes off of God. I remember as a young Christian going through something and someone gave me a poster that said, "Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off of the goal". It is true...whatever you are facing, Praise His Name!! Even in the small things.
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