ephphatha--open up.

tomorrow, our sweet, content, tiny one--Evie--will go for her

final hearing test before they will make a diagnosis of hearing loss.

in all of her previous tests, they weren't willing to say yet--they wanted to

give her more time.  they said they hoped her ear canals would grow

and open up. being her mom and being a nurse for many years prior,

i saw her reaction and their reactions to the testing.  

i knew what they weren't willing to say yet--

she had some hearing in her right ear and little to none in her left ear.

even from that first test in the NICU and all the ones that have followed,

i've felt peace.  not that i wouldn't grieve her not having hearing,

but i've just felt peace in exactly the way God formed her.

 

after her last test a month ago, we gathered all the kids and shared

with them the results.  they knew it was a possibility and we pray for

her, but we informed them that it looked like it might be a reality.

we told them that if that is the way He made her, then it would be fine.

we would figure it out and walk out that journey.

we wanted them to know though that we had the opportunity to 

pray in faith that God could heal her.  all 11 of us gathered 

around her on the couch and prayed.

 

slowly over the past month, we have all begun to notice evie turning

toward things and startling to loud noises.  i saw her still missing things

sometimes, but there has been a definite change.

this morning as matt & i settled into the back pew of the church with the twins,

i could hardly believe what passages of scripture we were on.

our pastor does expository scripture--verse by verse through a book

of the Bible.  we are working through Mark.

this morning we talked about why Jesus performed so many miracles

and if he still does today.  here is the miracle verses we were on:

And they brought to [Jesus] a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, 

and they begged him to lay his hand on him.  And taking him aside from the crowd 

privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue.  And 

looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." 

And his ears were opened...and he spoke plainly. And Jesus charged them to 

tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.  

And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, 

"He has done all things well.  He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."

Mark 7:32-37

how awesome [and loving] is God that these verses were the ones that we

were on today?!  we believe that, although it isn't the everyday, normal way God works
today, sometimes He does still do miracles--for our good and His glory.

we do believe that sometimes He doesn't answer prayers for healing--

not because we don't have enough faith, but because that is His will

and can also be used for His glory.   

 

i don't know if He's fully healed our little Evie, but i do know these 2 things:

she is perfectly made and He can.

[thank you for joining us in prayer. her appointment is 9am CST.]