McLaurin Update # 12: Drawing near to the throne of grace

Dear Family and Friends,                                                                   October 3, 2011

            We are delighted to share with you that Colby’s first week of chemotherapy and radiation went well!  Thank you so much for your prayers and continued encouragement.  Daily, the Lord is teaching us how to rely more on Him alone rather than in our own strengths, gifts, and plans. 

            Colby’s first day of treatment last Monday seemed to start off without any problems.  Lying on the radiation table was easy, pain free, and quick.  His Temodar (chemotherapy) stayed down without any problems.  When he got home he thought, “This is a piece of cake!  I’m young and healthy and this is going to be easy.”  But 3-4 hours after treatment, waves of vomiting started, each without much warning.  With some extra doses of medicine for nausea and time resting on the couch, Colby realized that he had been relying on his youth and health to get him through the next several weeks instead of relying on Christ.  Whether you call it physical rebuke, or loving discipline, Colby certainly learned and grew because of it!  With both an adjustment in attitude and in medication, we are pleased to report that the rest of Colby’s first treatment week was great and nausea free—all by God’s grace working through your prayer. This story is only one of many this week that has drawn us humbly to our knees before our God. 

            God has carried us this far, so why would He ask us to walk through this phase of treatment on our own?  Do we not believe God when He says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)?”  And why would we even try to lean on our meager strength when we can lean on our eternally faithful and all-powerful God who can move mountains?  He has already moved the biggest mountain—our sin (which seems to be all the more apparent in our daily lives these days) that separated us from knowing and enjoying God—by sending Jesus to die in our place.  And by no merit of our own, because of Christ’s death and resurrection for those who trust in Him, we have the privilege of knowing and enjoying God forever.  Wow!  So our hearts have been humbled this week and our prayer is this: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).”

Prayer Requests:

1.     1. Praise God for a great first week of treatment and for invaluable lessons learned from Scripture this week.

2.     2. Praise God for our church family, who continues to speak truth into our lives when we are at our weakest.

3.     3. Praise God for our neighbors, bosses, and co-workers.  Their acts of kindness have opened up time for us to enjoy time together as a family despite the busyness of our work and home routines.

4.     4. Pray for endurance and effective treatments.  Colby has 5 1/2 more weeks of combined radiation and chemotherapy, followed by several months of continuing chemotherapy to endure.  We are praying for healing, and trusting in the Lord.  More importantly, we are praying that God be glorified regardless of the outcome.

5.     5. “We’ve a story to tell to the nations.”  Continue to pray that we would have opportunities to be faithful witnesses to the grace of God in our lives.  Colby is still looking for opportunities to share his testimony in any format, event, or country.  We know that God has great plans for us in this world, and we are excited to see how He will use us! 

Thankful for your faithful prayers,

Emily, Colby, and Jireh