FOR I KNOW THE THOUGHTS I H AV E F O R YO U By Lynn King
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give to you an expected end.” (Jeremiah 29:11 KJV) In the fall of 1997, I began an exciting next step on my journey of faith. Still a young Christian (only 6 years since salvation), I followed what I believed to be God’s plan for my life. My oldest daughter began high school and my youngest began kindergarten. After five years of being a stay-at-home Mom, it was time for me to go back to college. I thought my plan was to ease into college, take two years to take my core classes, then enter a two-year medical program and get an associate’s degree. During my second semester, God showed me that plans can change. While visiting the emergency room for an unrelated and resolvable problem, they noticed a lot of my bloodwork was abnormal and suggested I follow up with my family doctor. Multiple doctor visits and blood tests later, we still had no answers. I look back and now I can see how the Lord’s hand was so clearly moving. 30 | M AG A Z I N E N A M E PAGE 3 29
My family doctor at the time was a young physician’s assistant named Greg. The dear man was so perplexed he spent a lot of time after hours researching and trying to treat me. I was on steroids and anything else they could think of, and they were performing test after test. No matter what they did, my blood work and my condition worsened. While sitting in the doctor’s office one evening awaiting test results, I remember praying, “Lord, thy will be done, just please let me know what thy will is.” It was very unusual for me to be there alone, but I had finally convinced my husband it was right for him to travel with the men from our family and church to a Promise Keeper’s meeting. I told him I’d rather have him there, lifting me up to the Lord for answers. I saw the look of concern on Greg’s face as he listened to the lab results over the phone. My counts had again worsened. I asked, “Where do we go now? What do you believe it is, honestly?” Time seemed to stop as he answered. “I’m sending you to an oncologist, I only see 2 possibilities; I believe it is either leukemia or bone cancer.” I left the office and drove a couple of blocks to a little store where there was a payphone. I called my husband’s rented cell phone number. My main memory of that phone call was continuing to try to smile as if he could see me. He was on a chartered bus, full of praying men, awaiting my call. I know my husband and had I repeated the words I was still trying to absorb, he would have hijacked that bus and been home immediately! I had no clue what I should say as I spoke, “It’s just a virus of some kind, keep me in your prayers and go praise God for me!”
