Friday, January 11, 2008

Who's in Charge Here?


(One of the blessings God has given me is the privilege to write a weekly column for our local paper, The Outer Banks Sentinel. Here's what will be there Sunday.)

Often when life seems to be totally hectic, unpredictable and totally out of my control, I’ll think, “I’m having ‘one of those’ weeks”. Usually it’s when the little things start piling up, and whatever calendar I’ve penciled in can be tossed in file 13. What tends to get me frustrated is my own idea that my life is to be lived according to my dictates, without interruption.

How big I think I am. People who know me know that I’m a take charge guy. After all, somebody’s got to be. I’m a type A. But I’m also learning that some things are beyond my charge; out of my control. And that’s OK.

One of the interesting names God reveals for Himself is the name He shared with Moses as He directed this man with zero self-esteem – a man who had lived in royalty, fled his home a wanted man and was at the time living in no-man’s land tending sheep at 80 years old – to step up to the plate and free a captive nation from slavery. “They’ll want to know Your name. Who do I tell them is sending me on this mission impossible?” (Keep in mind Moses was conversing with a burning bush.)

God said His name was “I AM”. Now there’s an all-encompassing name. There’s a name that exudes an aura of exclusivity. “I AM, not you. “I AM, you are not.” “I AM, so you stop trying to be.”

This past week has not been “one of those weeks”. It has been a once in a lifetime week for my family. We have seen miracles happen before our eyes – things totally out of our control and out of the control of those surrounding us. Our emotions have been strapped in to the seat of the Apollo’s Chariot of life as we wondered, feared and rejoiced only to wonder, fear and rejoice again.

Here’s something I discovered. God is bigger than anything life can throw at us. The enormity of the trial we faced last week was matched by His enormity. In so many ways He assured us that although things were out of our control, they were not out of His.

Not only that, the great I AM also showed us the power generated when His people pray. Most of my week, it seems, has been spent reading hundreds of notes, mostly from people I’ve never met telling us that they are praying. Primarily through the relatively new medium of a blog, they have reached out to God and to us by the tens of thousands from around the world. I know that because our blogs have counters telling us how many hits we’ve received. And it seems the world has turned its attention to a family from Nags Head.

It’s been a God thing – something I could have never imagined. Just as He proved Himself to Moses, a nation of Hebrew slaves and a world power Egyptian empire, He continues to prove Himself to me and many others today. He can do what we think is impossible. He is in control. He is still “I AM”.

As I write this I’m sitting in a little waiting room at Duke University Medical Center. I’m no more than 15 feet, separated by a hall and a wall, from my daughter-in-law who is clinging to life. Three floors below me in the intensive care nursery is my two day old granddaughter, born just shy of 25 weeks and presently weighing in at 1lb. 5 oz. That’s not a typo. We have seen and continue to see the hand of “I AM” take charge. It’s been an awesome sight to behold.

If you would like to know more about the miracles happening in our family, please visit the following blog: http://www.cfhusband.blogspot.com/. See if you aren’t equally amazed.


©2008 Rick Lawrenson




14 comments:

Andy Lawrenson said...

Great article. I hear reports of people all around the OBX following this amazing event in our family's lives. Kathy at the PO asked how they were doing.
I think that this week your article will be read more than the usual 4 of us ;).

MattieSixSigma said...

Amazing love! I have 5 healthy, beautiful grandchildren under 3 1/2 years of age. So much to be grateful for. So easy to take it for granted. Your family is in my prayers. God does work miracles; I walked away from a major car accident in October. Amazing love. Thanks for writing so elequently about your family's trials and victories. I've read your articles in the Sentinel for years, even before I moved here. Your faith is a blessing to the Outer Banks. Mattie

Emily said...

I am amazed. I imagine that our fingers appear just as tiny in comparison to his as Gwyneth's do in comparison to her daddy's. That might hand of grace reaches down and meets our tiny hands of faith each time we extend them upward. I am praying for your family, day and night. More than once this week, I have woken with a jolt in the middle of the night the image of Tricia in my mind and I know the Lord is calling me to pray, and pray I have. I am so excited to see what that precious Physician has up His sleeve for y'all.... :)

Anonymous said...

As I read your blog, and the blogs of your family and Tricia's family, I cant tell you how blessed I am by your words and constant expressions of faith. I am glued to my computer waiting to hear more about this story, thankful to be part of it in any small way, grateful that a God that I undeniably doubt at times in my life is so huge, so very powerful and so in control of things, even when they seem to be slipping away, He is in all of it, He is the great comforter, the great encourager, and the greatest love ever. He has used your story powerfully in my life this week.

I am a mother to two amazing little boys, (Kody 7 and mason 22 months), I feel blessed beyond words today to have such an honor as being called "mother" and that has taken on new meaning for me this week.

My prayer, beyond healing, is that I would produce such fine young men as you have, that God would be my strength and my guide in raising them to love and honor and obey him as Nathan is doing. I am humbled over and over again as God uses Nathan's words of faith to speak directly to my heart.

I am praying for your family and have hope in the power of the mighty God that we serve. Thank you for sharing your story with a world that so desperately needs to hear of a loving God.

FourBlackSheep said...

You hit the nail on the head with this one. What a wonderful read. I am sure it will bless many!

You know I have always heard: As a believer, do not get 'comfortable' with life, because God is constantly moving and working in ways we cannot make plans for.

This hits home for me because I like to have a plan for things and know what is coming next. But you know, if I do this, I put God in a box. Trying to conform Him to me.

The great I AM has bigger and BETTER plans than any of mine. The more we surrender the more we see His work in our lives.

It is certainly nothing short of a miracle the way God is moving and working in the precious lives of Tricia and Gwyneth - as well as your entire fmaily - and those praying and following your family's journey.

His plan is perfect, much better than ours. Although we cannot see what the future holds, or make plans for how things will go, we can cling fast to His word, knowing with comfort that the great I AM is with us.

Praise Jesus for the Lives of Tricia and Gwenyth, and the way God has used them to touch others. You have angels among you.

God's Richest Blessings Upon You - Ashley Black and Family

Anonymous said...

"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zep 3:17

I heard about your family through the friend of a friend. I'm a 28 year old minister of Music from Atlanta, GA that suddenly said hello and, 6 days later, goodbye, to my Abigail in May. She was born at 24 weeks due to a rare pregnancy complication. Please know that Believer's Fellowship Assembly of God is interceding on yours and your family's behalf. God is THE awesome God. I know that He will be glorified through the circumstances you now bear.

I'm checking in frequently and praying more. God bless you and keep your daughter-in-law, son, and granddaughter safely in His very big, very capable hands.

Swamp Tulip said...

I've been following your family's story and sending prayers up every day. Stay strong.

Teresa

Anonymous said...

Your story has touched my heart as I've read your blogs as well as Nathan's and the others. A friend of my family, Amy Dayton, gave us this blog and asked us to add Tricia, Nate, Gwenyth and the rest of your family to our prayers. Amy's brother in law, Matt is a cousin of Tricia's. I have been a Christian my entire life, but I stand in awe of the faith that she has. I hope to touch the lives of others like your family has. Continue to be a shining light in our world of darkness.... thank you so much!

Unknown said...

I saw the same thing happen when my daughter, now 3, was born. We were told at the onset to abort because she just had too many birth defects that we were told would be "incompatible with life". She is currently stealing toys from her baby brother. :)

I'm just a housewife from the midwest who has been sucked into your story.

We serve a big God and I sure am praying!

Unknown said...

I just wanted to let you know that I found Nathan's blog today, and am praying for your DIL and grandbaby for all I can.

Hilary said...

I have been following along with your family's story through your son's blog (which I discovered the day your grand-daughter was born.) I check constantly to see how everyone is doing and will wake up in the middle of the night and pray for your family. My heart goes out for you all and am so inspired by everyone's faith. God definitely has you in the palm of His Hands.

I love the article and how blessed you are to be able to talk openly about your faith in God and the circumstances in your life in your newspaper! This story will effect millions....

Praying for you from MN

Anonymous said...

Amazing faith. I just love to watch God's hand at work.

Jamie the ParkHopper said...

I found your family via Laura at Adventures in Juggling (the mom of a now thriving former micro-preemie) and spent a good portion of my night at work reading everything about your family that I could. I plan on talking about you all on my own blog as soon as I get my home internet access back.

I hope you don't mind, but I have paraphrased your paragraph beginning with "God is bigger than anything life can throw at us..." and turned it into my own prayer.

Up until yesterday, I was having my own crisis of faith. Your words have brought me back where I needed to be and reminded me that whether or not things work out the way I want them to, that I'll be ok at the end.

Thank you and your whole family for sharing your story with the world. To say you are all an inspiration is hardly enough.

Rick Lawrenson said...

Thanks Parkhopper!
Our trials are what make us strong, assuming we allow them to move us closer to God, not farther away.