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Faithful in Prayer

Post author:Gina B
Post published:October 31, 2013
Post category:31 Days of Victory

My victory came late last night, and today was full. Hence, day 30 at the end of day 31.

When we lived overseas, I met weekly with two dear friends of mine. Toward the end of my time there, we were joined by yet another friend. We would share with each other how we were doing and how they could pray for us, and then we would pray. We laughed. We cried. We wrestled with God for each other. Those were some of my most honest moments. Good stuff.

Since coming here, it’s been one of the things I’ve missed the most. The four of us currently live in four locations in three countries. Time zones are not our friend. Still, we have been trying to make a habit this fall, every other Wednesday, to google chat together. Last time we never successfully got all four of us on at the same time (we are not the most tech savvy bunch). Last night it looked like it might happen again.

But it didn’t. We muddled through decent connections and a dropped call or two, shared our requests, and finished by muting our mics and praying together. I have a note app on my phone in which I have recorded all the requests we’ve made over the last year. As we prayed, I scrolled through it, looking at past struggles and answered prayers, and I thought, “This is victory.”

“For where two or three gather in My name, there I am with them.” Matthew 18:20

What are you calling victory today?

Perfect Peace

Post author:Gina B
Post published:October 3, 2013
Post category:31 Days of Victory peace truth

Did you know that if you say you’re having chest pains at the ER, you get in immediately? So you could say, “I broke my arm. And also, I’m having chest pains,” and you’d be at the front of the line. I will warn you, though, chest pains will result in lots of expensive testing. You need to decide how much money that time you just saved is worth to you. Your call.

I know this, because that’s what I did this morning. I’ll skip to the punch line and declare that my victory of the day is not dying from a heart attack at the age of 40!

Well, I could stop there, but the bigger victory for me is the way God led me to respond to this emergency. Around 7:30 this morning I started experiencing pain in the right side of my chest. Taking deep breaths hurt a lot, which caused, naturally, shortness of breath. My inhaler didn’t seem to do much so we sent the kids to school with someone else (shout out to my awesome friend Jenny for stepping in with 10 minutes to get ready!) and Erik took me to the ER.

As we were arranging all this, and googling, “heart attack symptoms women,” I started to be very fearful, panicked really. (FYI panicking when you are having trouble breathing is a poor choice). We climbed in the car and started driving, and I started to pray. That was when God reminded me of Isaiah 26:3-4, “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, for he trusts in you. Trust in him at all times, O people, for the Lord, the Lord is the rock eternal.”

And right there was my victory, and it was all God. Because as I read those words over and over, I just felt held in his perfect peace. Whatever happened, I was in his hands.

So as we spent 4 hours in the emergency room getting my blood test, chest X-ray, and CT scan, I was at peace, because he kept me there. And you know what? It all turned out exactly the same way that it would have had I gone into it with fear. Except everyone had a much more enjoyable experience because Gina stressed is not a blessing to anyone.

They don’t know what happened. They suspect, and so do I, that it was something muscular that caused my chest, then back, then neck to tense up and constrict my breathing. This is wonderful justification for me to have regular massages to keep my muscles relaxed. I’d rather do them for $4 on the beach in Thailand with a lime drink in my hand, but I’ll take what I can get.

Where did you see victory today?