A Prayer for Eti

I have a dear friend who is fighting a serious illness. She has been sick for a long time and now she may have cancer. Her son-in-law says that she is ready to go home to the Lord and will not take any treatment if it is cancer. She has been through so much, and is such a beautiful, loving soul, that I am praying that God will be faithful to her as she has been faithful to Him all these years and take her home quickly, with a minimum of suffering. She has suffered so much already and with such a beautiful spirit. Surely her life has been a sweet fragrance unto the Lord.

But if it is not her time to go yet, I am praying that she would recover quickly and that it would not be cancer. And also, of course, that He would hold her and her family in the palm of His hand.

"The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down." Psalm 145:14

Dear Father in Heaven,

I thank you for the gift that Eti has been to me all of my life. I thank you for her patience, her optimism, her intelligence, and her understanding spirit. I know that She loves you and is eager to be with You forever, and that our parting, as sad is it might be, will only be for a little while.

I pray, Father, that you would spare her any more suffering. If it is her time to come home, please take her home quickly. If it is not her time, I pray that you would strengthen the cells of her body and of her bones to resist whatever infection or disease is there. You are the Great Healer; you have only to say the word and she will be healed. All of us who are praying for her are like the friends of the paralytic, carrying her tenderly between us with our prayers and bringing her before You with utmost faith. Please be faithful to her and honor your promises in Scripture to lift all those who are bowed down and to be gracious and compassionate to all that You have made. Please enfold her and Andy and Jess and Andrea and the rest of the family in Your loving arms. May they feel the peace that passes understanding the midst of this time.

I thank you, God, and praise You for what You have already done and for what You are going to do.

In Jesus Name,
Amen.

She is a big fan of the Elfin Chronicles that I started last summer. I learned that she was very upset with me when I stopped writing them. So I will have to finish them for her!