"Swooping" to Nathan's rescue

Family friend and long-time missionary to Africa Dave Hall put us onto a passage of Scripture that has been an encouragement to Hannah and me: Deuteronomy 33:26-27a. In the New Living Translation, it reads: "There is no one like the God of Israel. He rides across the heavens to help you, across the skies in majestic splendor. The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you..."

What a wonderful reminder of the sort of God we have as Father! There is no one like Him! He is like a powerful "super-hero" soaring through the skies and, to use Hannah's word, "swooping" down to help us, his strong arms upholding us. The super-heroes of the movies that have been popular recently cannot compare to Him when it comes to power to save, nor can they compare to Him when it comes to a passion to come to the rescue of the helpless. That is just what we need...and that is who He is.

I was, this past Sunday, surprised and delighted to discover the same "swooping" "super-hero" theme in Psalm 18. David composed that psalm on the day the Lord rescued him from his enemies. Sunday was that sort of great day for us. Nathan's CT scan revealed no new problems. I adapted the New Living Translation of Psalm 18 to celebrate Nathan's good day. Nathan is by no means out of the woods yet, but Sunday's CT scan was cause for rejoicing and we invite you to join us in a celebratory psalm:

"We love you, Lord, you are our strength. You are our fortress and our savior; you are the rock in whom we find protection. Your are our shield, our strength, our stronghold....

Nathan's death stared us in the face... but in our distress we cried out to you, we prayed to you for help. And you heard us; our cry reached your ears....

You opened the heavens and came down... You flew, soaring on the wings of the wind....

You reached down from heaven and rescued Nathan; you drew him out of deep waters.

The Lord lives! Blessed be our rock! May the God of our salvation be exalted!"

Psalm 18:1-2, 5-6, 9-10, 16, 46

Thank you, friends, for calling on the Lord to save Nathan. He has been doing just that, and we want to honor Nathan's savior from death...

But Nathan is far from "out of the woods." So please join us in continuing to pray Psalm 6:2-4 and 9 for him:

"Have compassion on Nathan, Lord, for he is weak. Heal him, Lord; his body is in agony.... Return, O Lord, and rescue him. Save him because of your unfailing love.

We know you have heard our plea, that you will answer our prayer."