26th April

Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing, nothing is impossible for Thee! We used to sing this Christian chorus in the 80’s when everything was so simple and undemanding. Or was it? Raising four young children had it’s own challenges… I well remember the prayer battles as we nursed crying infants through the night, too young to tell us their problems yet they always settled in the end. One young child was a regular at casualty over years always with head injuries… following an emergency ambulance was not our idea of a perfect holiday on the Welsh coast, but after a specific prayer these events abruptly ended. And how do you deal with a teacher blaming learning difficulties on mollycoddling by elder sisters? Prayer led us to a private report diagnosing dyslexia! Having a large family and mostly a single income we prayed daily about finance and though always on a careful budget, we never ever went into debt and the basics of life were always there.

At the time each of these challenges and countless others seemed insurmountable in our own strength. We always shared our needs in prayer with the Lord and he always provided a solution… always. In one sense the situation we find ourselves in today is no different, although facing life’s ultimate challenge as Jane is, it feels a totally different ball game. Jane has a diagnosis of terminal cancer; her doctor says she has limited time left with only palliative care on offer. So we pray. And God answers. His answer to date is to grant Jane his peace. She has no fear of death and continues to engage with life as best as she can. She is inspirational. But we continue to ask for more, we are daring to ask God for a complete healing and full restoration. We know that he is able and that he loves Jane with a love we can never understand so if he determines that this is her time so be it. But until then I will do battle in continual prayer for her life.

Today has been another quiet day; Jane’s condition may even have very slightly improved. She certainly seems a little more alert and for the first time in many weeks she asked for her art-case and started drawing again. It’s hard to imagine that earlier this year she was planning to run art-workshops… that feels like a very distant dream.

Zechariah 8:6 ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: All this may seem impossible to you now, a small remnant of God’s people. But is it impossible for me? says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.’ (NLT)