I was reading today’s entry from Spurgeon’s Faith’s Checkbook. He begins with explaining that God’s prophet, Isaiah, meant it for the Israelites in their war with Cyrus but then, only as he can, extends the application, as it should be, to all of His children because He never changes.

“I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron.” (Isaiah 45:2)

“This was for Cyrus; but it is evermore the heritage of all the Lord’s own spiritual servants. Only let us go forward by faith, and our way will be cleared for us. Crooks and turns of human craft and satanic subtlety shall be straightened for us; we shall not need to track their devious windings. The gates of brass shall be broken, and the iron bars which fastened them shall be cut asunder. We shall not need the battering ram nor the crowbar: the Lord Himself will do the impossible for us, and the unexpected shall be a fact.

Let us not sit down in coward fear. Let us press onward in the path of duty, for the Lord hath said it: “I will go before thee.” Ours not to reason why; ours but to dare and dash forward. It is the Lord’s work, and He will enable us to do it: all impediments must yield before Him. Hath He not said, “I will break in pieces the gates of brass”! What can hinder His purpose or balk His decrees? Those who serve God have infinite resources. The way is clear to faith though barred to human strength. When Jehovah says, “I will,” as He does twice in this promise, we dare not doubt.”

The Murphy’s are doing their work, and it is hard. Our work or “war”, so to speak, it to pray for Ian. What an encouragement God gives us from His word. My favorite line of the entry is, “We shall not need the battering ram nor the crowbar: the Lord Himself will do the impossible for us and the unexpected shall be a fact.”

Human might, nor skill, nor reasoning could not save Ian’s life, but God did. Human strength did not heal the fractured vertebrae in his neck, but God did. Human skill did not put together the ligaments in his knee, but God did. The unexpected became fact for us.

Let’s continue to pray to the One, who’s purposes cannot, will not be hindered and expect the impossible from Him for Ian. No amount of human strength or reasoning can bring him back to us, but, as Spurgeon confirms what the Word of God says, “Those who serve God have infinite resources” because He is infinite, He loves His people and He answers our prayers. And he loves Ian. Let’s remember that, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16) Let’s continue to pray, with hearts filled with faith and confidence in the One who crushed His own Son in order to make us His children so that we could come, boldly, before His throne and ask our Father that He would restore Ian to His family and Larissa better than he left us.

Kristi A.