Joy Treasure

It's been a long week and I have not had any desire to post anything until this evening.

I want to tell you about how God spoke to me at the hospital the day my father got his port put in for chemotherapy.

As my father's name was called, the nurse said to me, "You can come back in about 30 minutes." The doors shut. The waiting room was nearly empty. Just a noise from the morning news was heard along with elevator doors opening and shutting in the background. My mind was heavy. This was a day I would not forget. In just one week, my father had been diagnosed with cancer and now we were  beginning chemotherapy. There was no one I could run to except God. He was calling me to come to Him.

As I waited to go back with my father, I opened my bible and turned to Psalm 103. As I began reading, quietly I praised God for this day. I didn't feel like praising Him. But praise was due His name. Even on this day, I was determined to praise Him. To seek His face. It was a fighting of the flesh that I have never quite experienced. Here is what I read:

Psalm 103:1-5,
" Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-

who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

As time alone in the waiting room ended, I walked back to my father's room. A few minutes later, a minister from our church came in to visit. It was a nice break from the reality of the hospital. As he got up, he asked if he could pray for us. As we all held hands, he began praying part of Psalm 103. A tear came to my eye. God was speaking to me through His word from Psalm 103. I was to remember HE was to be praised and to remember ALL His benefits. Never could I have imagined that God would speak to me twice from that passage within one hour. I knew immediately God was telling me to trust Him as 'Healer.' To praise Him no matter what.

As my father was received back into the room to recover, he wanted a fresh cup of  coffee. I said, "OK daddy, I will do what I can." As I entered the hospitality room, I came to two empty coffee pots. Completely empty.

I sighed.

There were notes everywhere instructing people to  not open the coffee pots. So, I walked to the nurses station and asked a unit clerk if I could make the coffee or if she could find me someone who could. Instantly, she arose and came into the hospitality room to make the coffee. I thanked her. I then asked if she knew if it was OK to drink coffee before receiving chemo. She said, "Yes. I only know that because my daughter started chemo last week." Stunned, God was showing me that morning, I was not alone in adjusting to the fact that a loved one was starting treatment. There was another lady who knew exactly what I was going through. We both looked at each other and realized the Lord had placed us there to encourage each other. All because of two empty coffee pots. She needed a word of encouragement and I was needing a hug.

Even while suffering, God used me to encourage another through sharing Psalm 103. I didn't have to have it all together to share His word. I just had to open it despite my feelings. He was going to speak through His word not only to me, but even use me to share truth with another. What a lesson I learned that day about the power of God's word.