Anticipation

I will hide in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed (Ps. 57:2)

I was on my way to the doctor's office in early February, thinking I was to be treated for the allergies which I thought were causing my constant coughing.  On the way, since I was early, I decided to detour to the shopping center to look for a GNC.  However, the center I was looking for was a lot further away than I had thought it was when I headed in that direction.  As it turned out, there was no GNC there anyway, but my detour on the way and back caused me to hear the entire broadcast of Charles Stanley's talk on "Dealing With Crisis."  He used the quotation from Psalm 57 above, repeating it many times during his talk.  I found it strangely comforting and listened intently, glad for the extra time I was spending in the car to hear it.

That doctor's visit revealed the results of a CAT scan I had taken a couple of weeks previously.  The scan showed a mass on my right lung, which turned out to be lung cancer.  However, Stanley's message---indeed, God's message to me---remained with me and became my prayer throughout the "crisis." 

Before I called, You heard my voice;

Before I hungered, You had set the table and provided the food--

O anticipatory Love!

You healed; You set free;

You built up; You tore down.

You redeemed; You set apart;

You watched over, and walked with us through the valley of death.

The Lord is my Shepherd; there is nothing I shall fear...