Dear Friends,
I want to thank you for finding me and deciding to follow my blogs on WordPress. I hope I can be of encouragement to you. Isn’t it wonderful that we can communicate with each other all across the world.
Sincerely,
Angela
Author Archives: Prayingangela
Joy in Prayers Answered
Our mouths were filled with laughter today when we heard about Derek’s story of God touching his life. We heard good news. Today it is often the case that people are burdened and sad and don’t have much joy.
We were saying our goodbyes to friends at the hotel in Zakynthos before going to the airport. A couple from England, Derek and Linda were standing at the bar. They were frequent visitors to Zakynthos and only stay at this hotel. They are personal friends with the family who own the hotel.
Our host told us about Derek. He was a kind person and did much charity work back home. She often went on holiday to England to visit with him and his family. But his health was failing. He had diabetes, had kidney failure and attended hospital in the Uk three times a week for dialysis.
Needing dialysis did not deter Derek going on holiday to his favorite place. Arrangements were made for treatment on the island while he came on holiday. It meant going to his room every four hours and taking the necessary drugs to help cleanse his blood. He didn’t want to give up.
We happened to meet him back in 2015. He told us about having treatment for kidney failure and was hoping to have a kidney transplant. My husband and I prayed for him to get a new kidney in the name of Jesus. We believe that Jesus heals today. I know Jesus power has healed me of fourth stage cancer and I always love the opportunity to tell others what God has done for me. I prayed on the basis of Psalm 41.
Blessed are those who have regard for the poor.
The LORD sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness.”
Psalm 41:3 NIV
We didn’t see Derek again until today. When my husband spoke to him today tears welled up in his eyes. His wife started crying and our host started crying. He told us what happened after we prayed. He didn’t feel any different immediately and had to continue using the dialysis. A few days later he got a phone call from a friend back in his home town. Arrangements were being made for him to have a kidney transplant.
Derek was seventy years old. The doctors had told him there was little chance of him receiving a donated kidney if one became available on the NHS. Younger patients would be given priority before him because of his age. He was way down the waiting list. He was resigned to living with his condition and remained cheerful. He continued to think of others before himself. He was well thought of in his community.
A friend talked to Derek one day and told him he heard of a man , let’s call him John, who wanted to donate one of his kidneys to someone. John’s wife was a nurse in the kidney unit of the hospital. He was touched by the need of patients whose stories his wife related to him. John decided he wanted to do something to help another person.
Derek’s friend said he would tell John about Derek’s situation. He received a phone call on holiday from John after we prayed for him. John offered Derek his kidney. Derek remembered our prayers. God was answering our prayers for healing by giving him a donated kidney!
The process began back home to see if John’s kidney would be a good match for Derek. The doctors were amazed that John was offering his kidney. Tests were done and it was found that the donated kidney would be agreeable with Derek’s body. The doctors operated to give Derek a new kidney. The operation went well.
One year on Derek is still going on holiday and no longer needs dialysis. There has been no reaction in Derek’s body to reject the donated kidney. The doctors said it was a miracle that the kidney became available and that it was a match. They suggested Derek’s story would make a great article in a newspaper.
This is the first time this story has been published. God is good. He answers our prayers. If anyone wants to hear more about prayer for healing please get in touch.
We prayed for Derek again today and thanked God for his mercy for Derek’s healing. My husband and I left the island of Zakynthos today with laughter and joy because God answered our prayers.
Late April in Slovakia
I’m sitting under a willow tree in Slovakia,
My body welcoming the warmth of the sun
Along with all the creatures
That had to endure the long winter.
Life is breaking forth all around me.
Sparrows chirp above me in the branches,
Taking turns to fly up
Into crevices in the wall
Building their nests to have their young.
I survey the green panorama of the forest trees.
Two weeks ago they were bare brown trunks.
Doves call from their midst.
The apple trees burst forth buds and flowers
Attracting bees that buzz and hum
Busy collecting nectar and pollen.
White butterflies float in the air,
Outlined by the green background.
Although a thousand miles apart we share
Familiar wildlife in our gardens.
Sparrows, swallows, doves, bees and butterflies know no borders.
My son works with the soil.
My daughter in law is planting flowers,
Free from the repetition of washing dishes and clothes,
Cooking, baking and cleaning.
Their children play nearby,
Safe in the space of the new mown garden.
A hose gushes cool water.
The children dart in and out of the spray,
Running, chasing and squealing.
Barbecue smoke drifts through the air,
Inviting us to the picnic table.
Grilled chicken, courgettes, pineapple
Sweetcorn and mushrooms are ready.
Let’s dive in.
God Sovereignly Moves.
I was struck by what I read in the scriptures recently.
John was born to Elizabeth and Zachariah who had no children.
God spoke to Zachariah who was a priest serving in the temple of the Lord, that he would have a son. He didn’t believe and was struck dumb. Despite the priest’s unbelief God still kept his promise to him. His wife became pregnant and she had a son and called his name John. Their relatives and friends rejoiced with them at the birth of their son. This son was a special child and was set apart for the Lord. His parents taught him the ways of God. He learnt to hear from God himself.
“Then John testified, “when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.”
I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. I didn’t know he was the one, but I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God. ””
John 1:32-34 NLT
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”
John 1 29-33
God can use impossible situations to bring about his plans and purposes. His ways are not our ways. God sovereignly intervened in Zachariah’s life to bring forth a son who would be the one prophesied about many years before in Malachi.
““Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.””
Malachi 4:5-6 NLT
John lived in the desert, wore a hair covered tunic and lived on locust and wild honey. He called people of Israel to repent of their sins. They had forsaken their God who had done mighty signs and wonders to deliver their forefathers out of the land of slavery in Egypt. Many people listened to him and were baptized in water to show their change of heart.
Then Jesus appeared. John baptized him as well. The Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove. Jesus gives the same Holy Spirit to us today. He will be our comforter, our guide, healer, he will lead us into all truth, he will set us free from captivity and help us to hear from God for ourselves and cause us to live for God.
God will sovereignly move in your life today to bring about God’s plan for you.
Catherine Marshall’s Encouragement
An older couple I know heard I had cancer. They felt they should give me a book by Catherine Marshall written Back in 1950. She was a young mother with a three year old son, when she was diagnosed with TB. She was confined to bed for three years. She was very frustrated with her situation. She was young and found it difficult to come to terms with not being able look after her son and husband.
She remembered back to going to Church when she was a young girl and hearing about the story about a blind man whom Jesus healed. She was excited to hear that Jesus healed. Then her teacher told the children that healing does not happen today, only back in Jesus time on earth. She was perplexed and left the debate with the teachers.
Fifteen years later, she was confined to bed with a disease the doctors could not cure. She wasn’t getting better. She thought back to the story of the blind man. She began to read the stories about Jesus healing people. She had plenty of time to read the bible as she lay in bed. She studied the scriptures. She forgot about her condition as she occupied herself with search. She wondered could she be healed of her disease. Did God heal people nowadays? She dared to believe.
In her studies she found that Jesus was moved with compassion for the sick and he healed them. He healed a woman who was bleeding for twelve years, he healed lepers, he raised a dead child, he healed a cripple and all who came to him who was sick.
Catherine bowed her head and prayed. “Lord, I need your help. You made my body. You can heal me. Will you do for me what you did for others?”
I quote from her book, “Beyond Ourselves”.
A few nights later she was aware of a Presence, a Power, a Personality in her room. She knew it was Jesus. Her body tingled as with a shock of electricity. This was the turning point in her illness. The X-rays after that showed progress, she began to get out of bed a little at a time until she finally was healed. She was encouraged by another girl she heard of who believed God healed her of TB. Many symptoms of her disease were still bothering her, fever, a cough or the fluid in her lung. Yet she knew she had to keep her eyes on Jesus, not on her symptoms. She was totally healed a few months later. Catherine Marshall says “The woman who rose from bed and went out to meet life was a different woman.”
As I read Catherine Marshall’s book today I know her story impacted me back in those months I was suffering from cancer. All I wanted to do initially was to crawl into bed and hide there. I was too weak. TB is different from cancer. But deep in my heart I saw a glimmer of hope come to me. My faith was encouraged by Catherine’s healing by Jesus. I dared to believe. I thank God for the couple who gave me a copy of Catherine Marshall’s book. She received her healing back in 1945! I received my healing from Cancer in 2010. God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Hebrews 13 v 8
On Easter Monday 2018 I celebrated being healed from cancer for eight years.
The Daffodils in Ireland 2018
Your green shoots surfaced in January,
Giving hope of Springtime.
They grew a little more in February.
A few yellow trumpets opened up in early March.
No it’s not time yet.
Your stems and few blossoms were tossed by winds and snow.
Too cold to advance, growth stopped till better days.
We missed your presence on St Patrick’s Day.
A respite from cold caused yellow buds to blossom in late March.
Is it time?
Green stems opened up into yellow trumpets.
A few days of glory.
Winds and rain returned.
The sun didn’t shine.
Your heads are bowed low.
Let us join you and bow our heads,
Till the sun of righteousness rises with healing in his wings.
Endurance and perseverance is called for in the dark days ahead in Ireland.
Peter Rabbit
Every evening my son and children would be frantic looking for their escaped pet rabbit.
Last summer he was given a pet rabbit. His children named him Peter Rabbit. It was pre-owned but not pre-loved. When a bunny is young it is furry and cuddly, and is attractive as a live pet instead of a fluffy toy that doesn’t breathe. But a pet needs looked after, fed, watered and space to sleep and run. It may not take to being cuddled or it can mess up the kitchen if kept indoors. Soon the novelty of a pet rabbit wears off. Peter Rabbit had grown up, had a mind of his own and didn’t want to be cuddled any more. It wanted adventure.
At first Peter joined in with my son’s children when they were playing in their back garden. An elderly neighbour who lived on his own commented that he loved to hear the children play and listen to their squeals of delight when they played happily together. He would have heard a different cry when they would fall or fight but he didn’t mention that part.
The two older boys played together. The third child wasn’t always included in their play so he made friends with Peter Rabbit. He was chased round the garden or often got soaked when the boys were playing with the hose as their dad watered the garden. When bedtime came mum and dad were busy making dinner and getting their young family to bed. Toy tractors, diggers, buckets and spades were scattered where the children left them. Peter Rabbit was forgotten about. He made his own way into his bed in the shed for the night.
School term started, cold days came and the little children were not out playing in the garden as often. Peter Rabbit was alone. He began to find his way beyond the garden squeezing under the gate. He wanted to explore. He survived cars, dogs and cats in the neighbourhood. Of an evening when mum would return from a school run a neighbour would return Peter Rabbit. This happened a few times. Eventually the neighbours gave up. But Peter Rabbit always found his way home for the night.
Soon this young family were feeling hemmed in and needed for more space for their growing family. Mum and dad busied themselves through the winter keeping up the routine of getting children to school, making meals and caring for their children. The young family and Peter Rabbit survived the winter.
My son began to look for a bigger house. They would ideally have loved to move to the country. But there was nothing suitable available. God cares for the little children. He cares for the parents. He understood our son and daughter in law’s pressure in rearing a young family. He even cares for our pets.
A friend of their’s told them a house was available near where she lived in town. It wasn’t on the open market yet. Would they be interested in looking at it? They went along to view it. It was a big old house with a walled in garden and a green house with two grape vines in it. When I heard about the grapes I said, “That is the house for them”.
They were a bit daunted at first. “How will they heat it?” “Can they afford it?” But look at the grapes. It is private, it is safe for the children, no one overlooking your garden. It has a sunny aspect! The estate agent suggested my son put in an application. The house would be freshly painted and carpets cleaned for the new owner.
I was totally confident that God would provide a bigger home for my son and his family. I believed God for our growing family and he has always provided. In Numbers 33 v 53 I read,
“Take possession of the land and settle in it, because I have given it to you to occupy. You must distribute the land in proportion to their size. A bigger tribe gets more land.”
I went to visit my son and his family a few days ago in their new home. The front door opened into a bright hallway, already family photos on the wall, a spacious living room, kitchen, play room full of toys and bedrooms. More than they could ask or think. The back door opens onto the garden, a natural sun trap. They had their breakfast out on the lawn on their first morning. What freedom and beauty. The Lord has given my son his promised land!
We sat down in the sun for a cup of coffee together. I marvelled at the goodness of God in the land of the living. A Robin flew past me and landed in the hedge behind. It then perched on a chair and pecked some crumbs from the table. Peter rabbit was munching happily nearby. The young children played together somewhere in the big garden. We heard their voices. Mum and dad could enjoy time relaxing in the sun having coffee secure knowing their children were safe. Peter Rabbit won’t want to escape again.
My son and children won’t be frantic looking for their pet rabbit again.
Article Published in Local Woman Magazine
I had the privilege of having an article written in a Northern Ireland magazine.
It is called Local Woman. The Belfast editor, Maureen Coleman got in touch with me. She wanted to print something for Mother’s Day.
Here is a copy of the article. You can go to your local newsagent and as for the March copy of Local Women.
Why the Irish like Potatoes!
I live in Ireland. We are three weeks into March in 2018. We have had one day of clear blue skys and warm sunshine in that time. I took the opportunity to sit in the sun in the morning and get some fresh air and a walk in the afternoon. Being out in the sun lifted my mood. This past winter has been unusually cold and windy with snow. We seldom have snow!! Its very easy to get depressed and run for the cover of the duvet.
I was reading a blog, Cure4Health written by Chadmin. I quote
“During the winter months the sun’s rays are weaker and often covered by clouds. This caused scientists to believe that it was the absence of light that caused depression. In a way they were right. The sun’s rays trigger our body to produce vitamin D.
Studies have shown a link between vitamin D deficiency and mood. Vitamin D is a vitamin our body doesn’t store. Each day we need a source of vitamin D or we become deficient. The good news is that getting enough vitamin D each day is easy. Continue reading
The Sandwich Tern Arrive.
I was excited to see Sandwich terns today on Swan Island. It is rock outcrop a few yards from Strangford harbour. They are on time! Cold winds are easing and the days are warmer and have longer hours of daylight. Isn’t it wonderful that these birds fly thousands of miles from southern parts of Europe and America to rear their young. We are privileged to have them visit. Thousands of travelers on the Strangford ferry will get to see these terns up close. The birds are safe on the island out of reach from any enemies, but near enough for us to enjoy them.
There are many pairs in the colony that will nest and rear their young on the small island. They are very noisy. They rise up into the air together, screech and fly off to feed. They catch small fish on the surface of the water. Perhaps the same flock of terns return year after year.
The Strangford ferry is a vantage point to see the terns. Some of the birds stand on the end of the gangway on the ferry as it crosses the Lough. They aren’t shy of humans.
When I arrived home I heard Bird Song as the evening sun was setting. I recognized the blackbird’s, robin’s and starling’s call in the chorus. Only a few come to the bird table in the morning. They must be off looking for mates and making their nests in preparation to rear their young. It is safe now to start building. A week ago there was snow on the ground and many birds were feeding at the bird table.
The daffodils are sprouting yellow trumpets at last. They were held back by cold temperatures. What a welcome sight of new green shoots and yellow flowers swaying in the breeze, another sign that spring has sprung.
God’s glory is seen in his creation. Who tells the tern to leave the warm climes to come north to the best conditions to rear their young? Who causes the grass, flowers and trees to bud and blossom? Who causes the lambs to be born just when it is warm enough for them to survive.
“For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.”
Isaiah 61:11. NIV
Healed of Cancer. Angela McCauley 