The Upper Room Daily Devotional – “Through the Best and the Worst” Tuesday, 10 December 2013

The Upper Room Daily Devotional – “Through the Best and the Worst” Tuesday, 10 December 2013

Read 2 Samuel 22: 2 He said:

The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,

3     my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield and the horn of my salvation,

    my stronghold and my refuge,

    my savior; you save me from violence.

4 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,

    and I am saved from my enemies.

5 For the waves of death encompassed me,

    the torrents of perdition assailed me;

6 the cords of Sheol entangled me,

    the snares of death confronted me.

7 In my distress I called upon the Lord;

    to my God I called.

From his temple he heard my voice,

    and my cry came to his ears.

David wrote, “In my distress I called to the Lord; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears.”(2 Samuel 22:7 (NIV))

Are they blessings or a series of miracles? My wife, Pat, and I feel certain about one thing: the events of the past two years of our lives were not coincidences. We were engaged to be married in December of 2009. Two months after our engagement, I decided to move to be closer to her in southeast Missouri — three months earlier than I’d originally planned. This move was our first blessing. Two days after my move, Pat was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer and given a one-in-four chance of surviving. She underwent two major surgeries, two minor ones, 24 chemo treatments and 29 radiation treatments. Through it all we prayed that God would allow us to enjoy the blessings of life for as long as possible. We are convinced that because of love — the love of God, our pastor, friends, and family — and the amazing work of numerous doctors, Pat’s cancerous growths were removed, the cancer killed. God continues to support us with never-failing love. Even when things don’t go as we desire, we know that God loves us still, supporting us through the best and the worst of times.(The Author-Kenneth C. Birt (Florida, USA))

Thought for the Day: Go to devotional.upperroom.org/blog to see a photo of Kenneth and Pat.

Prayer: Gracious God, we give you praise for your love that sustains us through good times and bad. Amen.

Prayer Focus: Oncologists

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