God bless you.
I'm still praying and waiting and praying and waiting and......for a new heart.
It's get boring. Painfully boring.
That's one reason I have been lax in posting entries on this blog.
If I am getting tired or telling you that I'm still praying and waiting for a new heart, I'm
certain that many of you get tired of reading it.
But if there is anything the devil wants me to do is get bored from and tired of
praying and waiting.
But I must remember the words of the prophet Isaiah, "Wait on the Lord. Be of
good courage and He shall strengthen thy heart."
Wait on the Lord, the prophet urges. For "they that wait upon the Lord shall renew
their strength. They shall mount up on wings of eagle. They shall run and not be weary.
They shall walk and not faint."
I thank God for people like Marie, who remains a constant encouragement to me
through her comments submitted to this blog. Her husband was paralyzed by a stroke
years ago. But she has remained ever prayerful, loving, thankful, faithful and hopeful.
After reading another recent comment from Marie, I was challenged to not
slacken in this fight for life.
I am reminded that matters most is that I am still alive and still blessed. I am
reminded that just as there is no personal credit or honor for being healed quickly,
there also is no shame in having to wait for a slower one.
If I have nothing tremendously new to report, then I must continue to testify about
what the Lord has already done for me.
I am blessed that my brain tumor was diagnosed as benign.
I am blessed that my prostate cancer was early-staged, localized and responsive to
radiation seeds treatment.
I am blessed that my prostate cancer has been aggressive, progressive remission
sufficient for me to be cleared by the Mayo Clinic to be placed on its heart transplant list.
I am blessed that the mild stroke I suffered in December of 2009 was a temporary
event that I survived with no residual paralysis.
I am blessed that I survived the cardio-genic shock I suffered on Jan 11 of 2010, then
survived two stints on life support and the open-heart surgery of having a heart pump
implanted.
I am blessed that I not only was allowed to continue working but was returned to our
paper's high-profile beat of covering the Bulls, a beat that I was hired to cover in 1972,
more than 16 years before Derrick Rose was even born.
I am blessed to have a faithful, loving wife like Joyce. She won't let me give up,
give out or give in.
She challenges me to live the sermons I've preached for 58 years. And the core
of those sermons is that I can accomplish anything through faith in Jesus Christ, who is
the real healer, the real deliverer, the real sustainer.
Thank you for continuing to read my blog. I will try harder to post entries more
often. Please continue to pray for me and I will pray for you.
God bless you.
God bless you.
Rev. Banks,
Please keep us updated. There are so many of us praying for you incessantly. You may never know our names or faces but we pray for you nonetheless. Your updates let us know you're still with us.
BANKS' RESPONSE: Crystal King. What a name! You are so kind to give me your prayerful support and I greatly appreciate it. You and I know that there is no limit to the power of prayer as long as we pray to the Lord with faith and in Jesus' name. That's why He told us in his Holy Word to "pray without ceasing." Jesus also told us that whatever we ask of the Lord in faith and in Jesus' name it shall be done. In the meantime, I pray your strength, your life and your joy in the Lord.
Hello Rev Banks,
Just stopping by to let you know your readers are thinking about you. I know waiting can be difficult, but what God has for Lacy is for Lacy. He doesn't always come when we want, but he's always on time. I'm glad he still allows you to have the activity of your limbs to walk and to write your blog. God is so good, his mercy is everlasting. I'm a firm believer in the power of prayer. I pray for God's continued blessings upon your life. Many have departed this life since you've been waiting on your heart, but God's still keeping you here. You have more preaching to preach, more souls to save and more playing with your gradkids to do. You may grow weary, but don't give up. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Remember, it’s always darkest just before the dawn appears. Your days are destined to shine brighter because God is faithful. As you stay in faith and are obedient to His Word, you’ll receive double for your trouble and see God go above and beyond in every area of your life! Stay prayed up Rev. God is still on the throne!
BANKS' RESPONSE: Shara, your encouraging, comforting comments touched me deeply and enriched me lavishly. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. I'm still stretching out on faith in God. I know no better way or greater hope. For my hope remains built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. In Him, there is no failure. And I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. I am waiting on the Lord and I am of good courage so that He will strengthen my heart. And I wait not in vain. I wait because I am trusting in the Lord with all my heart and leaning not unto my own meager understanding. In all my ways, I acknowledge God so that He will continue top direct my path.