Reigning Mercy

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (NLT) All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. You can be sure that the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. So when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your benefit and salvation! For when God comforts us, it is so that we, in turn, can be an encouragement to you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident that as you share in suffering, you will also share God's comfort.

Paul wrote this in a letter to the church in Corinth shortly after he had a little trouble in Asia. He says "We were crushed and completely overwhelmed, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die."

Man good thing stuff like that doesn't happen around here these days.

So it is Friday morning actually 5am and I can't manage to sit still any longer. My mind has been singing two Chris Tomlin songs all night long. Last night, my wife and our two girls went out for a ride. I had lost my Chris Tomlin CD for a long time and it was found last weekend during a wild cleaning moment. It is a great CD it is called See the Morning. Every song on there is great and sometimes Emma, my four year old likes to hear it. This is very important because if Emma deems a certain CD as appropriate for listening in our car even though it is not on the Disney approved listening list, we are very blessed. Emma likes this CD. I asked if we could listen to it and she said OK. She said she wanted to hear the United States song. Great, I get her to say she will listen to the CD and she thinks we are listening to something else, but then I thought a minute. Strangely enough, Emma calls "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)," the United States song. I know she saw a part of the movie, Amazing Grace, that recently came out and this song is on the soundtrack to that movie and the Chris Tomlin video is played at the end of the movie. But I don't know why she calls it the United States song. Perhaps I will learn and tell you another day.

So, we are in the car listening to this song, which I know the Lord wanted us to hear. I know the Lord was just waiting for me to hear the words:

My chains are gone

I've been set free

My God, my Savior has ransomed me

And like a flood His mercy reigns

Unending love, Amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me

His word my hope secures

He will my shield and portion be

As long as life endures

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow

The sun forbear to shine

But God, Who called me here below

Will be forever mine

Will be forever mine

You are forever mine

Because God wanted me to reflect on something miraculous that happened on that day, Thursday, February 21, 2008. My Good Friend had a special moment yesterday. Sometime around lunchtime, I am guessing, his nurse pulled out the IV giving him his final dose of chemo. And then a few "short" hours later, he was released from the hospital. That's right, the chains of lymphoma are gone. Sure he has a long struggle to regain his strength, but the hours upon hours of sitting in the hospital are gone (barring any small setback as he gets through the next few weeks). I think back to what Paul said, "We were crushed and completely overwhelmed, and we thought we would never live through it." I don't know if that is what my friend was thinking, but I know I would have been.

But what Paul said in verses 3-7 are true. My friend would say several times, "Strangely enough I feel kind of peaceful." Dude your hair is gone. Many times he would say, "Enough about me, how's your job search going?" Dude your eyebrows are gone and I think you might be wearing white lipstick. "So how are things going, is there anything that I can pray for you about? Do you want to pray right now?" He can't go to work, which he loves to do, he can't get out and work hard on his farm, which he loves to do, he can't roll around and tickle his boys, which he loves to do. He had to go and have this treatment every three or four weeks that made him stay in the hospital for 2-4 nights and then spend the next few weeks dodging every molecule of bacteria, fungus, or gunk that he could to stay healthy. Sure he got down at times, but he always seemed to remain peaceful. At least to me.

But here is what also happened. People reached out to him because they wanted to check on him and God allowed him to comfort others with the same comfort God had given him.

Another great song on the CD, Let Your Mercy Rain, has been pounding in my head all night long. I am not kidding. I had dreams with the music playing. Finally, I had to get up. I thought I was getting up because of a coughing fit that was keeping my wife awake, but once I sat down on the couch it started to come to me. I just needed to type a little note and thank God for giving me my Good Friend. I am glad you are home buddy.

God, You have done great things

God, You give grace to the weak

And bless the brokenhearted

With a song of praise to sing

You reached down and lifted us up

You came running, looking for us

And now there's nothing

And no one beyond Your love

You're the overflow

You're the fountain of my heart

Let Your mercy rain

Let Your mercy rain on us

You're the faithful one

When the world's falling apart

Let Your mercy rain

Let Your mercy rain on us

How deep, how wide, how long, how high is Your love ... is Your love

How deep, how wide, how long, how high is Your love ... is Your love

Oh, God

Let it rain