Monday, July 25, 10:00 pm part II

It has been an uneventful afternoon with everything quite stable with Mom's condition. So this evening I was sitting next to Mom praying for her ... I have heard of how isolated people can feel when they are in her condition ... able to perceive what is going on around you, but unable to express yourself ... so I had planned to read the Psalms to her ... she loves the Scriptures and they are her constant companion ... but the nurse said she was sleeping, so I decided to wait for that until she was more awake.

So I began praying for her ... that in her heart and thoughts and dreams Mom would experience the warmth and light and friendship of the presence of Jesus ... that she would sense Him walking with her and interpreting her life and circumstances for her that she might gain a deep, deep peace in knowing how He had designed everything from the beginning until this very moment and that she would be filled with delight and joy in Him as she grew in the understanding and assurance of His love ... and that's when the alarms I had not heard before began going off, and looking up at the monitor I saw the red flashing lights and the big "0" where her pulse rate should be. The nurse came in and started talking to Mom and said that she was going to ask me to step out for now. As I was walking away, I found it a bit strange how my prayers for her were uninterrupted ... even in the face of this cardio arrest, I was still praying the same thing as I was before it happened. For me, this faith that came to me primarily through my Mom and was surprisingly sustained through the darkest nights of my life by her prayers for me ... this faith in the Person and work of Jesus Christ is such a precious gift that keeps on giving and deepening and becomes more precious in every circumstance of life. I thank You, Lord, for the precious gift of Mom and her faith in You.

10:30 pm. The nurse just popped her head in the waiting room door and said that they were going to take an x-ray to make sure the pacemaker wire was in the right place.