My dear friend, Jack McCall, writes a weekly email “challenge” that he distributes to his constituency…I share it with you today… With tears flowing, Irene promptly printed and put Jack’s heartfelt prayer under the glass on her desk…

“Challenge”

“Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry for help come to you. Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly.”

A friend of mine Dave Dias writes the above scripture in a book titled “Irene’s Journey of Faith”. Dave’s wife Irene was diagnosed this past year with a rare blood disease called Amyloid disease. Irene’s incredible faith in God is no doubt evident throughout Dave’s writing, but so is the faith of Dave and their two daughters.

Dave is in the insurance business like me and by all rights we would be viewed as competitors. ;>) We are not competitors though. We are friends.

The very first time I met Dave was about six years ago. We thought we were meeting to talk about a possible merger. Not! Dave and I met to have lunch. As I shook Dave’s hand, I couldn’t help but sense that there was a great human being behind his big smile. We sat down and my cell-phone rang. It was my wife Joanne and I asked to be excused. My wife needed me and I apologized to Dave for having to leave so abruptly after such a brief introduction. Dave said, “You can’t leave until I pray with you.” We sat there in the middle of the restaurant and Dave prayed for my wife. It was a time of distress and God turned His ear to me through Dave Dias. Two hours later my cell-phone rang again. It was Dave following up to see if Joanne was okay. I didn’t know that day if he and I would be partners, but I knew that he and I would be friends. (please join me in the prayer below this weeks Challenge and consider reading their story- link is attached) Thanks in advance.

“Challenge” When others are going through trials, are we God’s ear for them? Are we moving too fast to hear the cry of the lost, lonely, rejected, persecuted or broken? We cannot detect wolves in sheep’s clothing if we are not among them.

Father

Amyloid is only a name and the name above all names is Jesus. You have given us authority through Your Holy Spirit to trample on the enemy – “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. Luke 10:19 – So, we appropriate by faith this authority and command Amyloid to leave Irene’s body. We pray for normal blood pressure, normal weight gain, nausea to cease and desist, Amyloid to be completely eliminated, kidneys to be restored to that of a healthy thirty year old, and for Irene’s miraculous recovery to shock the medical community. We are grateful for the continued strength afforded to Irene, Dave, Jocelyn and JoAnna. Allow Your healing mercies to wash them anew. We pray all this in love and pray it in the precious name of Your son, Jesus.

Amen