Well, thanks for joining us for this edition of Struggling Well, our podcast. We're glad that you have joined in and chosen to listen to us. you know, Suzi, as I think about this year, it has been, anything other than what we thought it would be. you spent a week in the hospital in 2024 and I spent a week in the hospital in 2024
last week.
And so,
we're changing the name of the podcast. I know you all are scared of what I'm going to call it,
but you know how I always talk about we want to change it? Well, it's going to be changed to what in the world
like Ah, what in the world is going on here, Lord?
Yeah. So, here here's where my mind went with all this. I mean, confusing it's been, unexpected, it's been. but I found a psalm that I think is often forgotten. the 118th Psalm. The only reason the 118th Psalm gets remembered is because it's the psalm before the 119th Psalm, which is the longest psalm in the Bible.
but in the 118th Psalm, it starts off this way. say, "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever." And then the psalmist goes on to say, "I thank you that you have answered me and you have become my salvation." And then comes this verse. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. And in light of the things that we've gone through, I think what I've come to realize, Suzi, is that there are many days I don't wake up with that being the thought on my mind. and that this is the day the Lord has made. rejoice and be glad in it. I take it for granted that he gives me life.
I think that it's quite you did a neat job of kind of glossing over what's happened this last week. So because I am not a gloss over person, I'm going to give you a little bit more insight. Jimmy had a health situation that came up abruptly scared me to death. And I'll be honest with you, when I first found out that he was on his way to the hospital. I did not drop on my knees and thank the Lord for this day. I felt a lot of fear, a lot of the unknown, the coming out of nowhere emotions and just scared, just downright scared. And yet the thing that I think Jimmy and I both would want to convey more than anything is that with this sudden this onset that came and required hospitalization for Jimmy. we both have a very firm foundation in who we know. We know, I'm not trying to be corny because he is the great physician, but we know the great physician. And so, even though it was scary and the day did not go the way we thought or had anticipated, yet we knew without a doubt and we still do that God is God and he is sovereign and in control and our days are in his hands. So, I don't know if that makes any sense of anything to be quite honest with you. My brain is still kind of coming back. So,
no, it does. I think that I think what strikes me about Psalm 118 because you spent two years in the Psalms and it's the reminder again of his steadfast love, his love that never fails, his love that endures, his said love for us. we just, you know, we that's what in the times like we had,
that's what we lean to and lean on is the reality that he does love us and that love will never fail. And again, in those hard difficult days, I don't know that I am drawn to saying this is the day the Lord has made, but it's in the everyday mundane days. Okay, so we're back home. the immediiacy of the health there is in the rearview mirror not completely gone but you know as we record this morning you know can I get up and say this is the day that God has made and I'll be glad in it.
some there are so many places in Psalm 118 that are standout verses but I know during this past week verse 5 really comes to my mind. Out of my distress I called on the Lord and the Lord answered me and set me free. the Lord is on my side. I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is on my side as my helper. And David's referring to or in this psalm they're referring to something more in line with what's happening with the nation of Israel. But God has allowed through his Holy Spirit to have the these words be here for me as well. And I will tell you that in my distress, I'm sorry, distress, I did I called on the Lord. and more than anything it was for him to be present,
for that steadfast love to be what was gurning me and our family. and I definitely saw that in small ways that were just beautiful whispers of God. Like, when we get to the hospital, the nurse who is, seeing Jimmy in the ER, this is probably more detail than you need, but in the ER, she was this delightful woman and I walk around the corner and walk into the room and she's talking to Jimmy and says, "So, where did you go to church on Easter?" And it was like, "What?" I mean, here she was taking care of him, but she was interested in his heart and his spiritual life. So, we found out that she loved the Lord. Then he had some tests run and some one of the technicians came in and this guy just nine years ago asked Jesus to be his Lord and Savior. Another sweet gift from the Lord. And then different people that spoke into our situation and in our lives that were evidence that God was present and that he was using these people to speak peace to us and to speak comfort and wisdom and that was just an incredible surprise.
Yeah. recently I was on the phone with a dear friend who lives in another part of the country and we were just talking about some of the things we had gone through. I think this was even before my hospitalization. But he said this. He said, "I want to pray for the manifest presence of God." It's an old Puritan sentence that is, "Can I experience God in my everyday life? I know what's written in his word is true."
And I know all those things are true. And so there's a part of that it is knowledge that is the bedrock for what I believe. But his prayer was that I would you and I would be able to experience the manifest presence of God. And what you just described, I think, is that coming to life.
Yeah.
Those places where in little ways God shows up.
And so, as you all know who've listened to this podcast, we ask a lot of questions that we don't expect to give you the answers to. We want you to ask those questions of your own life. And so, here's a couple of questions that we would say are important to answer in those rough days, in those rough moments, when those times when life seems to be out of control, can you look for and experience God's presence in your life? Like you said, little things that took place throughout that week in the hospital that were evidence of his intervention into life.
But then the other thing is maybe this day as you're listening to this, you're it's just another mundane day. It's just another day that you wake up and the sun's shining or it's raining. training or whatever it may be and there's no big thing on your calendar. There's no big upheaval in your life. In those mundane things, can you see this day as God's goodness to you
and that this is the day he's made and rejoice?
We had a dear friend come over and bring us some delicious soup. that's one of the things about the body of Christ, at least in the area of the country that we live in where people show their love through food. And if we took all the food that was offered to us, we'd eat each be like 600 lb then we could be on that other show.
People that don't know us may think we are 600 pound.
Oh, we could be but we're not. But regard that doesn't matter. That's not the point. But so when she came the reason why some of these thoughts have risen to the surface for us is because she actually mentioned to us her struggle with the dayby-day gratefulness to the Lord. And she was talking about just driving home and she happened to look up in the sky and see the beautiful blue Azour blue, whatever you want to call it. Some people call it Carolina blue, some people do not. but this beautiful blue and clouds, puffy clouds, and she was stunned by how infrequently she actually looks up
to see what God has done in the world at large. so we want you to join us in our desire to be more thankful, you know, when your house is on fire and somebody goes, "Well, you know, all things work together for good, it feels lame and it feels like it doesn't fit, but it actually does." But we have to we have to go back to how deep is our trust
and will we trust him for everything, for the good, for the hard, for the ugly, for the all the difficult things that we experience.
And that's our prayer for our own lives, for Suzi's in my life. And that's our prayer for your life. Have a great week.