I was sitting on my recumbent bike this afternoon worshiping God as I was pedaling along. As I racked up the miles, I started thinking about numbers. The reason for this was, that this morning I had my blood drawn to check on the levels of my white blood cells and neutrophils. These numbers are very important for any patient undergoing chemotherapy. If the numbers are down, they can not give an infusion as it would give the body zero immunity and fighting ability. Unfortunately my Neutrophil number was at 1.7 (normal rates for a healthy person are in the range of 1.8-7.7). The nurse told me that if my number is below 1.4 on the day I am supposed to receive my infusion, I would be sent home without having received my infusion.
So on I pedaled, thinking about numbers, while starting to cry out to God. God is my ultimate and great Physician, He created my body, He knows what I need before I even ask. I started praying that if it was His will, that He could provide a perfect number of Neutrophils to my body by infusion day this Friday.
In the Bible there are many significant numbers like 1, 3, 7, 12, and 40, to list a few. The number seven however, is considered to be symbolic of perfection, completion and rest. By the time I was through with my prayer and worship, I ended up having completed 7 miles on the bike. This made me smile because I had not really planned to go that far! It seemed amazing to me, that I finished the perfect number of miles all while contemplating my awesome Heavenly Father and crying out to the Lover of my soul.
I don't know if God will answer my prayers to have my Neutrophil numbers high enough to receive an infusion on Friday. What I do know for sure, is that He will answer my prayer because I prayed for His will to be done. So even if my numbers are lower than 1.4, I will know that He knows I need rest and maybe a reprieve from the infusions. I trust my God more, than I trust lab outcomes. He knows what I need more than I know what I need.
I am at peace. I am doing everything in my power to get those numbers up (although I was told by the nurse, that there is nothing I can do, eat, or take that can get the numbers up). My God is greater than Neutrophil numbers! He created all my Neutrophils and can create new ones by Friday. And even if He doesn't, I know He knows what is best for me.
“The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply".
Matthew 6:7-9 (The Message)
This translation of these verses really spoke to me. I don't want to be prayer-ignorant, but trust my Heavenly Father who loves me and knows what I need!
God bless until next time,
Beautifully written and expressed!