Joy comes in the morning

Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment,
and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
~Psalm 30:4-5

God is good and gracious, and has overwhelmed me with his blessings. The above psalm was the song I went into the hospital singing yesterday morning, and the one I awoke singing this morning. He is so good to meet all my needs!

As we waited to get an IV started before surgery, Dave read to me from Spurgeon's Morning and Evening about how God closed Noah in the ark with Himself, away from all evil and harm. He said:

"The Lord shut him in."
--Genesis 7:16

Noah was shut in away from all the world by the hand of divine love. The door of electing purpose interposes between us and the world which lieth in the wicked one. We are not of the world even as our Lord Jesus was not of the world. Into the sin, the gaiety, the pursuits of the multitude we cannot enter; we cannot play in the streets of Vanity Fair with the children of darkness, for our heavenly Father has shut us in. Noah was shut in with his God. "Come thou into the ark," was the Lord's invitation, by which He clearly showed that He Himself intended to dwell in the ark with His servant and his family. Thus all the chosen dwell in God and God in them. Happy people to be enclosed in the same circle which contains God in the Trinity of His persons, Father, Son, and Spirit. Let us never be inattentive to that gracious call, "Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee, and hide thyself as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast." Noah was so shut in that no evil could reach him. Floods did but lift him heavenward, and winds did but waft him on his way. Outside of the ark all was ruin, but inside all was rest and peace. Without Christ we perish, but in Christ Jesus there is perfect safety. Noah was so shut in that he could not even desire to come out, and those who are in Christ Jesus are in Him for ever. They shall go no more out for ever, for eternal faithfulness has shut them in, and infernal malice cannot drag them out. The Prince of the house of David shutteth and no man openeth; and when once in the last days as Master of the house He shall rise up and shut the door, it will be in vain for mere professors to knock, and cry Lord, Lord open unto us, for that same door which shuts in the wise virgins will shut out the foolish for ever. Lord, shut me in by Thy grace.

What an appropriate way to begin our adventure for the day! Then my support team began to arrive: Kelley, Ann, Gretta, Mom and Dad. How sweet to be surrounded by friends.

Then we had the IV problems. The first IV started just fine, but had a leak in the catheter, so I kept leaking, and they eventually had to pull it when we couldn't fix it. Then, after another try by that nurse, and a failed try by another nurse, the anesthesiologist did get one started. This all took about an hour, and I just kept saying, "Don't give away my operating room!" They didn't, and I was wheeled back before they began the lovely drugs that calm one, so I was pretty awake as they prepped me for surgery. This can be a bit disconcerting, but by God's grace, the sweet OR nurse, Alison, leaned into my blind, glass-less face and said, "We are going to take excellent care of you, so don't worry about anything. We won't let anything happen to you!" And that reminded me, as the drugs took me from consciousness, to rest in the arms of Jesus, trusting Him in my life or my death. What a nice way to fade into the oblivion of surgery!

As many of you may know, the waking up from surgery has always been the toughest thing for me. I have sometimes had mild panic attacks, or extreme disorientation-- neither uncommon for those of you who have had surgery before. But it is what I dread, and I had focused a lot of prayer on being given the strength to trust in the Lord and be calm in Him in that moment. And He answered that prayer! It was the easiest waking up I have ever had! Thank you to all who prayed for me, and praise God for His goodness!

After about an hour of surgery, another hour in recovery, and another couple in a room, I was ready to head home, and things have been going very well so far. The surgeon felt he got a good sampling of nodes, and now we await that pathology. And with the help of some excellent drugs, my pain is well under control, and I slept peacefully last night. So, now I rest and recuperate and remind myself that I am closed in, behind and before, by a Great God, who protects me from evil, and even cares about my puny fears and my every need. He has answered in the affirmative all my prayers for this surgery-- and yours. Thank you for praying, and please continue to do so. And let's sing praises to the Lord and give thanks to His Holy name!