The Kingdom of His Beloved Son

Blessings and Greetings in the Lord Jesus Christ, Dear Prayer Warrior,

The content of these prayer emails ought to be God-glorifying and meaty in faith. However, it seems that my emotion can often overwhelm my words and deemphasize the Truth that anchors us in exchange for feelers. So now, I want to honestly display the full spectrum of God’s works in our lives as much as grace can reveal it to me. It will always include emotion but they are not leading they are following behind our faith.

As an unbeliever, I felt so alienated, alone, and misunderstood. Art was the only way to explain my inner content outwardly, but I remained prideful in my aloneness. In truth am never alone and never unloved. Anna’s needs have humbled me time and again to more clearly latch onto God. She has helped me discover just how interventionist and interested God was/is in all our lives. Praise Him that He is. The God of the Bible’s supreme intervening love and interest with us all came in the person of Jesus Christ in life, death, and resurrection, even though many reject Him.

One of my favorite verses of assurance is Colossians 1:13 “He (God) has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,” I cling to the verb tense here! We are talking spiritual victory in Jesus no matter to situation. You see, Anna is sick again with a fever, stuffy nose, constant cough, and a thrush infection. We had to break out the suction machine, humidifiers and remember just how hard it is to see Anna go through this and how demanding it is on us. The domain of darkness still tempts me to think that life sucks, that pity parties are justified, and complaining actually gets me somewhere.  Or darker still, that Anna’s needs will tear apart my marriage, that I don’t have what it takes to father Anna, or that she might not see her next birthday. There is legitimate possibility to all of that. But I reject those paths because they are in the domain of darkness. I have faith in Jesus, He is living through me. I no longer live with current problems that give way to future fears. I have a High Priest that I look to for answers. Living in “the kingdom of His beloved Son” makes me focus on Him instead of myself for the answers and provision. I stand solution-focused on Jesus instead of problem-focused on me. It takes faith and grace to see things His way that is why clinging to the promises of the Bible is so helpful.  

God is so good because in the weeks leading up to this current sickness He has brought Lindsey and me in unified hot pursuit of Him. We are having much renewal by simply focusing on Jesus, experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit, and praying our lives out to Him in utter dependence. Our medical discussions about Anna are more supportive and open to each other. We are always encouraging one another in the faith. Lindsey has been so intentional to talk about what our day has been like abiding in Jesus. We discuss the spiritual strongholds Satan has been using to wedge into our relationship, then we go onward in prayer and in the Scriptures to find the biblical too needed to enter into battle equipped as a soldier of Light. We are finding obedience to be fruitful in things like fasting and prayer together. So this intensity of Anna’s new illness does challenge our sleep and new found gracious harmony.  

God will make a way and show up as we stand our ground and fight for the faith!

Please Pray:

-For Anna’s full recovery from this illness, ASAP. that God will keep her airway clear.

-For patience in enduring because none of this is without a purpose, may we glorify God through this.

-For more reminders in our everyday that we have been taken from the domain of darkness and placed into the kingdom of the beloved Son. May we ponder richly the implications of this as we go about living for Jesus.

-For continued unity in our marriage, household needs, and mutual diligence in seeking the Lord.  

Thank you,

Nic, Lindsey, Anna, and Simon