Skip to main content

Yesterday Was National Rare Disease Day

 




People.


People matter so, so much to the Lord.

And so, people really ought to matter to those of us who follow the Lord, who are disciples of Jesus. When you follow someone, then what matters to that someone should be what matters to you.


Yesterday was National Rare Disease Day.

And it just struck me that there are so many people all around the world dealing with health issues that are uncommon and, as such, probably go unnoticed, misunderstood, and perhaps they even feel a bit forgotten.

Now I don't have what would be considered a rare disease, so I won't get all "overly fluffy"
 and pretend that I know what it's like to live with a rare disease. (I have faced a rare combination of two different electrical problems with my heart which made treatment pretty much impossible, but I have always been able to find cardiologists and electrophysiologists who could provide me with some answers to my questions and at the very least explain the finer points of what it meant to live with bigeminy premature ventricular contractions and super ventricular tachycardia and the potential for an episode of VFIB). I can only guess that those who have a rare disease have to fight so much harder to find medical help, to garner any answers that will help improve the state of their day-to-day life. 


Until you cannot find an answer in your moment of great need, you have no idea what a gift it is to be able to hit the Google and generate a million results in half a second's time.


Today, I'd like to offer this prayer for anyone dealing with a rare disease. 

Would you join me in praying?


               Lord, I come to you today as a woman who desires to love people well, because You love people so well. I cannot personally encourage all those facing life with a rare disease, or those friends and family members attempting to care for those with rare illnesses. But I can, as a whole, lift them before You and seek Your grace, Your favor, Your insight and wisdom, Your healing and protection and deliverance and provision for their every need. Do that today, Lord. Bless them right now at their greatest point of need. Encourage them. Strengthen them. Open doors for them that need opening. Gird them up. And make headway via research and with medical professionals in ways that will improve their lives dramatically. Do what only You can do & bring hope, life, real & lasting change to these situations and circumstances. Touch hearts, bring clarity, and heal. Lord, please heal! You are our Healer, so I am simply asking You to be who You are - the Lord, our Healer.  Jesus, be near. And thank You for hearing and answering my prayer today. In Your Name - Amen. 


Thank you for praying with me. And please continue to pray.


The world of the unknown is not reality for most of us.

But for so many others, it is a difficult and unwanted daily reality. 

Lord, bless them! 


~ Jan L. Burt

author of "The Power of God's Will - 40 Days of God's Promises Devotional" available on Amazon 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

A Homeschool Mom's Devotional by award-winning podcaster Jan L. Burt

Colossians 4:17 tells the reader to "be sure to carry out the work the Lord gave you". How can this be applied to the enormously busy lifestyle of a homeschool mom? First of all, we must always remember that the Word of God has the answer for our every need and we can trust fully in God to use His Word to lead us, guide us, correct us, and bless us. Keeping that in mind, let's consider what this verse is saying. We are told to carry out, or complete, the work the Lord has given us. We are wives, mothers, homeschoolers. Those three BIG job descriptions come immediately to mind when I think of homeschooling mothers. Applying God's Word to our life means carrying out our work as wives, as mothers, and as homeschoolers. When I am exhausted from another long day (or long week, long month, long year, etc.) I still must honor the Lord by blessing my husband. Maybe that means having a hot meal on the table when he arrives home from work. Perhaps your husband
6 comments
Read more

I Gotta Let You Know Two Very Important Things (Seriously, They Are Truly Important For You To Know...)

 First, a big --- fat --- hefty dose of encouragement for you, my wonderful homeschooling friend.  As you get ready to roll into the fall of 2020...stop for just one moment and hear what God's Word has to say to you right here, right now, on the brink of the last stretch of what has possibly been the most turn-your-whole-world-upside-down year ever.  Psalm 125:2 - As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people both now and forevermore.   You are surrounded.  Completely & totally, that's exactly how surrounded you are.  Going into the great unknown as, say, a working mom whose children are going to be doing school online at home (or a working mom homeschooling and working from home for just the next several months, but not planning on continuing to home educate after things "normalize" again).  This is God's promise just for you as you embark upon this season of life. I really, truly believe He wants you to know that He has you surrounded
1 comment
Read more

My Preferred Bible Reading Plan

We all know that reading our Bibles is a key part of living a healthy life as a follower of Jesus. But busy homeschool moms may, at times, struggle to know what part of the Bible to read on any given day. Some people read the Bible through, Genesis to Revelation, and when they finish simply start over. Others have reading plans that follow along with the sermons their pastor is currently preaching. And yet others find themselves "stuck in the Psalms", since they're not quite sure what to read. I'm not going to tell you how many chapters a day you should read, or that you need to do exactly what I do. I'm just going to share what has worked for me, and hopefully encourage you to get into the Word using some type of plan ~ because every homeschool mom knows what happens to our plans when we fail to create a plan, right?! I use a prayer and Bible reading guide called "Prayer Point" , published by Samaritan's Purse. About every 8 weeks, I receive a
3 comments
Read more

Do You Homeschool? Then You Need to Read This Article!

Whether you have been homeschooling for a month, a year, or a decade, you've inevitably faced the "questions". Questions about socialization, college, athletics, driver's ed, high-school biology, etc. etc. etc. and so on..... It seems as if homeschoolers are ripe for questions from day one; but the flip side seems to be that there really is no flip side. We are expected to patiently answer any and all questions, smiling politely and pretending we've never heard this line of questioning before. But when we try to ask a few questions about, say, public schools as a whole or the issue of private schools being used as a last-ditch landing spot for students expelled from public school, well...ahem...we're pretty much told to keep quiet. No one wants to hear our questions, and often times no one really wants to hear our answers to their questions. They just kind of want us to....go....away. I'm not planning on going away any time soon. And neither are my fiv
4 comments
Read more

Everything by Mary DeMuth

The book Everything by Mary DeMuth became a "keeper" for me almost as soon as I began reading. Mary sugarcoats nothing in her attempt to make Jesus' gospel what it rightly is ~ and as you probably guessed from the title of her book, it rightly is about everything. Eighteen chapters, three sections, one-hundred and ninety-eight pages...if you take the time to delve into them you will grow exponentially in your walk with the Lord. In Everything Mary calls us out, calls us higher, and admonishes us with honesty and openness. Sharing from her heart and relying heavily on the truth that is God's Word, she sets things straight. There aren't just one or two things about this book that I have taken to heart; and there aren't just a couple of quotes I could share here. The book in it's entirety is a game-changer! Please buy this book, read this book, apply the truths in this book to your life, and let the Lord become your everything! HERE is a dire
1 comment
Read more