“Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”  Psalm 103:1-5

Now that my 15 year-old son is recovering from Lyme Disease, I am waiting for test results to show whether or not I also have Lyme Disease.  (I had expected to know by now, but the doctors’ office lost the test results.  Grr. )  If I do have it, it will be the 7th case of it in our family in the last 4 years!  I started to have pain in my knees when my baby was about 6 weeks old, and that pain has now spread to most of my other joints.  I feel like I would expect to feel in my 70’s, not my late 30’s.  I am also dealing with extreme fatigue.  If I did not have 8 children to care for, I believe that I could sleep all day, every day!   It didn’t occur to me at first that it might be Lyme Disease, because I did not have the high fevers that were associated with the first 5 cases our family had.  However, when I saw that my 15 year-old definitely had Lyme Disease but had not had the high fevers, I realized that I needed to get checked.

It can be discouraging to go through health problems day after day, week after week, month after month, and sometimes year after year.  I am blessed in that my health problems have been relatively minor.  I have not had to deal with any of the really life-changing problems that face many people.  Still, there are times when I am discouraged by the fact that my health is not as good as I think it should be.  ;-)

My 15 year-old and I were listening to the radio in the car together Friday evening, and we got to hear the daily broadcast from Focus on the Family.  We got to hear the story of Duane Miller, who had mysteriously lost his voice and just as mysteriously regained it several years later.  In fact, we listened to a recording of him teaching on the verses quoted above when his voice was restored.  The recording was painful to listen to in the beginning, as it sounded as if he had a severe case of laryngitis.  However, as I listened to his voice being restored, I had tears rolling down my cheeks.  I encourage you to listen to the January 15th broadcast of Focus on the Family!

Duane Miller talked in the broadcast about the sovereignty of God.  He talked about how he had to come to grips with trusting the Lord for his voice.  The Lord, in His wisdom, allowed Duane to lose his voice and struggle without it for several years.  At just the right moment for His purposes, the Lord then restored Duane’s voice.  Duane has gone on to have a successful speaking ministry.

Nick Vujicic is another person who has faced tremendous obstacles in life – obstacles that would have stopped many of us.  I had seen him on YouTube before, but was sent this video again today.  Nick was born without limbs, but lives life to the fullest, encouraging others to do the same.

Whether I have Lyme Disease or not, whether I feel good or not, whether or not things are going the way I think they should, I can still praise the Lord.  And when I praise the Lord, He will help me to get through the day in a way that glorifies Him.   Regardless of how my body feels, my youth is renewed like the eagle’s when I praise the Lord!