"Thrilled!"

Thrill (THril)

    1)  (Noun) To affect with a sudden wave of keen emotion or excitement, as to produce a tremor or tingly sensation through the body.

       2)  (Verb) To be stirred by a tremor or tingling sensation of emotion or excitement.

-        Dictionary.com

Can you remember the last time that you were really thrilled over something or someone?  Although I strive to not live in the past, with the battle we are fighting for my wife’s health, I can’t help but have flashbacks of some of the many stirring times that she and I have had over the last 46+ years of our relationship together.

I can’t help but recall the daily thrill I felt during our Senior High school year as I felt like I was walking on clouds the entire year!  Or the many times that we would be together and start laughing so hard over something one of us said or did that we could hardly stand up.  I can remember the thrill of the myriad of adventures we embarked upon as husband and wife and later as Mom and Dad with our four kids.  Then there were all the special ministry programs, the youth groups, the Children’s Churches and College Career groups that we participated in or led over 35+ years of ministry… 

But I think the greatest thrill that I miss the most is simply sitting alone with Piper, holding her hand and quietly gazing into her bright shining brown eyes as she smiled back with encouragement, joy and love.

In our daily battle with the debilitating symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease it could be easy to fall into despair and depression… and believe me when I say there are days when the temptation to give up are unavoidable… but at those times I go to the source of encouragement, strength, joy, peace and power.  In these critical crossroads in our fight I know enough to stir myself up and get caught up in the thrill of the promises found only in God’s Word.

As I pick up one of my 50 or more translations of His Holy Word and begin to read from many of my favorite verses, I quickly find myself being uplifted with the truth of His overwhelming love for me and my wife as I find myself focusing in on His abundant power that is greater than any old lie that we may see trying to manifest itself in Piper’s body.

I love S. Way’s translation of Ephesians 3:20 as written in his “Letters of St. Paul to Seven Churches and three Friends with the Letter to the Hebrews.”  Here he describes the overcoming power and abilities of Papa God saying: “To Him who is able to accomplish all – more than all things, far transcending all our prayers, all our imaginings, to an extent whose measure is that mighty impulse which THRILLS us through.”

After meditating on verses such as this throughout the Old and New Testaments, I can’t help but find myself more THRILLED over the truth of God’s Words to my wife and I than any new symptom or attack that the enemy of our souls may try to inflict.  And as His THRILLS begin to course throughout my entire being (both spiritually and physically) I find new strength, new resolve and greater faith building up inside of me to go the length of this battle.  To see it through until the finish line… the place where the truth of God and His Word proves itself to be the THRILL of our lives and we can step back into the specific race that God has called Piper and I to COMPLETE in this life!

I agree with something our Pastor said a few weeks back when he was teaching on running the race that the Apostle Paul wrote about in I Corinthians nine and Philippians chapter three.  The Pastor assured us that God didn’t call us to enter the race of life only to quit before our particular race ended!  Not me… Not my ‘bulldog like faith’ wife either!  We aim to finish our race and receive “the prize for the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14 KJV)

Now that is something to be THRILLED about… wouldn’t you agree!  How many times a day do you seek the Lord’s wisdom and guidance and find yourself being THRILLED by His truth as you allow it to course through your entire being?  You know… it is just too easy in today’s technical world to say that you don’t have time to get into His Word.  After all, you can have it on your phone, your laptop, your tablet, in your vehicle’s infotainment system, and just about anywhere you go!  And it only takes a moment… a few quick clicks or swipes to find His Word for the moment that will THRILL you for the rest of the day… or until another dosage of His THRILLS are required!

I don’t know about you, but that thought simply THRILLS me!  Have a great new week as you allow His Word to THRILL you throughout your busy schedules… and in the meantime… keep asking yourself… “Who or What am I expecting to THRILL me today?”