Urgent Prayers Needed for Ana Mae

I saw Ana Mae yesterday at the cancer center after her 33rd radiation treatment. As of then she only had 2 more radiation treatments and 2 chemo treatments left in this course. She was supposed to have her weekly chemo after the radiation session but begged the doctor to let her do it the next day instead. She was very upset and crying and clearly very agitated and uncomfortable. She had recently developed a nagging cough.  Her skin on her face and neck is burned and her mouth is full of ulcers, which are side effects of radiation therapy. She has reason to complain. The doctor agreed to let her postpone the chemo till today.

The plan was for her to come back this morning for her second to last radiation treatment and her second to last chemo treatment. A few of us from our congregation were going to visit by the time she got back later this morning. When we arrived Ana Mae's family told us that she refused to go for treatment today.

We went inside and saw her lying down, clearly very weak, in a lot of pain and emotionally distressed. Her mother told me that she hasn't eaten much since yesterday. Ana Mae told me through tears that she couldn't sleep last night, that she has pain in her back and legs and is unable to walk. She still has a cough.

We prayed for her and she seemed to settle and experience peace. The pain lessened. I helped prop her up so she could take some cough medicine. 

I called the doctor and informed him of her situation and he told us to bring her in to be admitted. He will stop the treatment for now and wants her on fluids and close monitoring in hospital. We brought her in and they did some tests. She needs another blood transfusion.

The doctor told me there is a possibility that due to the toxicity of the cancer cells, some may have leaked to her spinal cord and/or brain. He said it's called micro-metastasis and if this is the case it would not look good. The good news is, it might not be micro-metastasis. We don't know that that is the case right now. In fact, she had a fall several weeks ago that may explain the pain in her back and legs as she has been complaining of such pain since then.

Please join us in praying for:

• Every cancer cell to be gone. 
• His peace to surround her and comfort her.
• Resolution of any back/leg pain. 
• Continued provision for her medical bills (I have a couple hundred dollars left)

Last Sunday morning my friend in our congregation talked about the story of the persistent widow in Luke 18.  What I learned is carrying me through this week.

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. ² He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. ³ And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

⁴ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”
⁶ And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? ⁸ I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

I always thought this story was about justice and couldn't necessarily be applied to praying persistently for other needs or wants. But in the first verse, Jesus' reason for telling this story is clear - to show them (his followers) that they should always pray and not give up. Other translations say they ought always to pray and not lose heart. The other part that stuck out to me in a new way was the last verse about when Jesus comes back, will he find faith on the earth?

And this is how I am challenged to exercise my faith this week. To pray and not give up and to not lose heart. Even when I am tempted to give in to discouragement and therefore pray less and with less faith because I have not yet instantly seen what I have asked for.  No.  I will not be limited to pray for those things that seem possible to my limited human mind, knowing that God's thoughts are higher than my thoughts and his ways higher than my ways and knowing that nothing is impossible with God.

I also know that Jesus said, "All who have faith in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these..."

We know that Jesus went through towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he sent out the 12 disciples and then the 72 it says he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

The results are up to God but I must do my part and pray for healing.

So join me! Let's not lose heart but keep praying with faith in our loving and powerful God.