House of Hope Online

December 15, 2024

Here is a link to the audio:

Or, if you prefer Spotify:

Last week, I spoke of the gratitude and thanksgiving I had toward the Lord for seeing me through major heart surgery.  As I recorded the podcast, His anointing came over the following scripture, as I realized that He was with me in the night, when nobody else was around.

Psalms 92:

 1 ¶ (A Psalm, a Song for the Sabbath day.) It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Thy name, O Most High;

 2 To declare Thy lovingkindness in the morning, And Thy faithfulness by night,

 3 With the ten-stringed lute, and with the harp; With resounding music upon the lyre.

 4 For Thou, O LORD, hast made me glad by what Thou hast done, I will sing for joy at the works of Thy hands.

 5 How great are Thy works, O LORD! Thy thoughts are very deep.

I was overcome by verse 2 as I realized that the Lord was faithful to be with me by night.  I expressed last time the gladness described in verses 4-5: “For Thou, O LORD, hast made me glad by what Thou hast done, I will sing for joy at the works of Thy hands.  How great are Thy works, O LORD!

The Faithfulness by Night

Let me tell you a little about my surgery and the faithfulness of our Lord to be with me throughout this process.  I had a 5 ½ hour procedure done on Thursday morning, November 14, to not only replace the aortic valve, but also to enlarge the aorta itself.  The enlargement allows a larger valve now, and if I would outlive this valve, it will allow a less invasive future replacement.  Nancy said the surgeon was tired but very satisfied with how well the procedure had gone.

I was in good condition after the surgery, showing good responsiveness.  I remember only having a tough time staying awake, which is normal after major surgery.  However, on Friday evening, I developed a touch of pneumonia.  I remember a cough and having difficulty spitting out the mucus.  After much prayer by family, the pneumonia simply cleared up by itself.  I just stopped coughing.  It was simply a miracle touch of the Lord! 

By Saturday, I was able to get out of bed and sit in a chair.  I was on a liquid diet for a couple of days.  On Sunday, I was able to concentrate on the Steelers game and live through the nailbiter with the Baltimore Ravens. By Monday, I transferred out of Intensive Care into a regular room. In-hospital Physical Therapy started me walking around the ward three times a day.  By Wednesday, my surgeon felt my recovery was proceeding well enough to release me.

Once released, I seem to be recovering much better than the last time I had this surgery, despite being 9 years older.  I haven’t needed any pain medication since the day after my release, and yesterday marked the first day I did not take Tylenol for soreness.  The physical therapist visits me at home is very impressed with my progress. 

I am scheduled to meet with my surgeon on December 31, and if all goes well, he will release me and prescribe a few months of cardiac rehabilitation, comprised of treadmill work, light weightlifting, and stretching exercises.

The Lord Is with You!

As I told you earlier, I am so grateful that the Lord was with me throughout this ordeal.  The presence of our Lord during our trials should not surprise us because He promises to be with us throughout the scriptures.  Let us start with His promise to Mary when the angel announced she would give birth to Jesus.

Luke 1:

 26 ¶ Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee, called Nazareth,

 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Hail, favored one! The Lord [is] with you.”

 29 But she was greatly troubled at [this] statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be.

 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.

The promise of verse 28 is for us as well.  The Lord wants us to know He is with us.  The angel told Mary in verse 30 not to be afraid because she had found favor with God.

I know it is easy to think: “Well, that’s Mary. She was holier than I am.”  But that promise is for us as well.  Once we accept Jesus in our hearts, the Lord is with us, and we have found favor with God.  This promise is reinforced throughout the Bible.

Isaiah 41:

 10 ¶ ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

I was anxious about this surgery, but the Lord spoke through Isaiah and said do not look anxiously about you.  He promises to be with us, to strengthen us, to help us and to uphold us with His righteous right hand.  Those are awesome promises.

Psalms 34:

 7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.

 8 O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

I know His angel encamped around the operating table and rescued me.

Psalms 34:

 17 [The righteous] cry and the LORD hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.

 18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous; But the LORD delivers him out of them all.

The word “delivers” in verses 17 and 19 has special meaning in the Spirit.  It is more than moving from one place to another – more than a package being delivered in time for Christmas.  Spiritual deliverance means to snatch away, to defend, to escape danger without fail, to pluck, preserve, recover, rescue, and to save.  The Lord snatched me away from the dangers inherent to major surgery.  He plucked me from pneumonia and preserved me.  He rescued me.  He heard my cry and fixed my broken heart valve.

And the Lord will do the same for you, regardless of what challenges you are facing.  The Lord will deliver you from heartache and all afflictions, whether they be physical, emotional, or spiritual.  He is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.  Trust in His promise that many are the afflictions of the righteous, but He delivers them out of them all.

Psalms 5:

 11 But let all who take refuge in Thee be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And mayest Thou shelter them, That those who love Thy name may exult in Thee.

 12 For it is Thou who dost bless the righteous man, O LORD, Thou dost surround him with favor as with a shield.

Keep in mind that we become righteous not by our own good deeds or holiness.  We become righteous only by accepting Jesus into our hearts.  Psalms 5:12 promises He will surround us with favor as a shield.

Closing

Luke 2:

 20 And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

I love this passage of the Christmas scriptures.  The shepherds praised God not only for all they had seen and heard, but also because it was just as it was told to them by the angel.  Remember, they were told “today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this [will be] a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:11-12)

The Shepherds found it just as it had been told to them.  And I found it just as the Lord had spoken to me through His written word and the spoken word of the Holy Spirit.  He is with me.  He had cast my mountain of fear into the sea.  I found favor with Him.  The angel of the Lord encamped around me.  He delivered me from pneumonia and other dangers of surgery.  He is strengthening me, helping me, and upholding me with His righteous right hand.  He surrounds me with favor as a shield, not because I am holy, but because I have received the Righteous One into my heart.  Praise Jesus!

Let us pray.

Father God, thank You for the promise of Your presence in our lives, and thank You that it is just as You have told us.  We can trust that Jesus is with us, that Your favor surrounds us as a shield, and Your angel encamps around us.  Thank You for delivering me from the dangers of surgery and we pray now for Your deliverance of all who hear this word and receive Jesus into their hearts.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.