PP Email

Dear Prayer Partners,

I had a visit from Doug today. Some of you know him, he is the motor sports dealer in Willmar. He and is wife are on their way back from Florida and swung by here. It was good to visit. Amy and Jan are here, as well. We had such great conversation.  We talked about the sovereignty of God and what a great comfort it is to know that about our God and trust in his involvement and leading in our lives. Then we had many thoughts of examples that sometimes cause us to think there is a conflict in believing that about God, or if believing that, does it cause us to feel it's not necessary for us to pray.

     Amy told me of a little ten year old girl at IHOP ministry in Kansas City who was praying to God so fervently at a meeting she was at. Amy said to her, would you pray for my Dad? He has cancer and I have a hard time believing for his healing. She told me how this little girl so earnestly asked for my name, wrote it down, took her hand and prayed for me with tears. I wanted to use that as an example that sometimes causes people to see a conflict between that kind of praying and the sovereignty of God. I feel there is no conflict at all. God wants us to pray like that. It just might be that part of my cancer is to teach us to pray. If I am not healed it is no sign that we shouldn't have prayed that. All our prayers are asking for our own will. That's what God wants, he said you don't have because you do not ask. Not the less we want to be in the center of God's will. We want God to have his way with this, to use my cancer to his glory in every possible way. I pray for more days of life to use some of the things I think he is teaching me for his glory.. I believe God's heart and will is changed by the prayers of his people.

     I so definitely know that your prayers are answered in me. I have learned that even the nights when I have no sleep I can lie in bed with no pain, no sleep and have perfect peace. I have perfect peace at night. I went for three nights in a row with almost no sleep. But God answered your prayers by giving me what I needed and that was joy and peace with a lot of time to think about it. Yesterday I slept a total of eleven hours. I feel just great right now, but the Lord gives me sleep sometimes, and joy and peace at other times, and he never fails to meet my needs. Right now I am one of the most prayed for guys on the planet and I know it. I am so blessed. I can't tell that I have any cancer. I don't even think this is a terrible place to be. God is here, he is with me. I have all I need. I have wonderful friends and family. I feel a little guilty to have it so much better than anyone here. I have the Lord, family, friend, email, mail, prayers of people  --- much more than I deserve.

    I'm so looking forward to driving home with Jan. I always said, "I can't wait just to get into a car and drive and drive". I had no idea I could do it so soon and so far. We will can take three days driving home. I want to just poke along, enjoying the countryside and the beauty of creation. It will be spring and a great time to do it.

     You're getting fewer PP email's right now because I am writing my book. That is my priority right now. I miss writing to you, and I'm thankful that you are writing to me even though you're not getting much from me. I'm looking forward with great anticipation when we can all meet in Willmar to be united in person, many of you whom I have not met. I hope you will come. I hope that if you do, the Lord will give us a time together where he will show us his glory, that we can delight in his presence, that it will be entirely and completely and only for the glory of God. May the brightness of his beauty shine forth so clearly in front of a dark world that we live in. Thank God that though our circumstances we live in can be dark and bleak, God does not depend on circumstances to meet our needs, to show us his glory.

    I pray that you are all blessed today, that as you pray for me we are truly united in prayer with each other that the Lord is pleased and delighted in the praise of his people.

In Christ's love,
Bob