Critical Prayer Point

I would greatly appreciate your prayer on my behalf right now.

Two days ago, I began to experience the onset of bowel obstruction. You may remember from my posts in January and February that this is what sent me twice into hospital earlier this year.

It came to the point, on Saturday night, of deciding whether I should go into hospital. I couldn't eat or drink, which meant that I was getting dehydrated. My vertigo had returned with a vengeance (this has nothing directly to do with my cancer, but is a separate condition I'm fighting at the moment), and I was feverish. My doctor recommended that if the fever didn't break, I would need to admit myself into hospital.

My family, and many others, were praying earnestly. My fever broke, I began to be able to eat small portions - and more importantly, to drink fluids - and I felt my strength returning.

Over the last 48 hours or so, however, I've experienced a number of breakthroughs and apparent reversals. On Sunday morning, for example, I had a high fever, was feeling nauseous, and although I could eat and drink small portions, I knew that the bowel obstruction was not yet fully over.

I went before the Lord personally in prayer, asking him why I was experiencing these breakthroughs, followed by reversals. The Lord took me to the story of Joshua's battle with the Amalekites in Exodus 17:8-13. In verse 11, we read:

"As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning."

While Moses prayed with hands lifted up, the battle went for Joshua, but when his hands lowered, the battle went against Joshua. This is, I believe, a picture of what I'm facing right now, and we as a family and a church have taken up the challenge to pray through to full outworking of the victory we have in Jesus Christ.

There are two possible outcomes for me this week:

1. I end up in hospital (which may mean surgical intervention)
2. I come through this crisis in full victory (and, I'm praying, full healing)

Obviously, we want to see the second, not the first. Prayer is what will make the critical difference between these two outcomes.

Just to put you in the picture, so that you know how to pray, at present, I'll share with you what I'm facing. I'm battling potential fever (obviously not all the time, but on occasions), vertigo, nausea, increased pain, as well as potential bowel obstruction. Since Saturday, I'm now eating and drinking, which is a major miracle in itself, but my stomach is extremely loud (much gurgling and other noises). I can also feel the lump of the cancer in my stomach. Furthermore, I've lost another 5 kg (11 lbs). I'm down now to 63 kg (138 lbs), so obviously I'm praying to see this reversed very quickly.

Pain has intensified, but is largely still under control. Every time I feel pain, I call Elena and my parents, and we pray together, and the pain immediately lifts. But like Joshua's story in Exodus 17:8-13, this is an ongoing fight of faith and prayer, until the Lord's resolution comes fully through.

I'm experiencing extraordinary grace from the Lord. I should have been in hospital already, but the Lord has rescued me from this, and I continue to look to him for the complete resolution. I believe that this is not just a battle over my life, but I am on the frontline of what God is going to do in many, many more lives. I'll share more about this later.

Thanks for joining me on the frontline in prayer and intercessory warfare.

David

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