“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.“ Isaiah 40:28-31 ESV
These verses have brought me comfort and hope for many years. I discovered these verses about 20 years ago in the process of adopting our daughter Leighanne. That adoption process took almost 3 years to complete and included changing countries, re-doing our paperwork dossier for China, and lots of time spent waiting. It was during this time that I discovered the truths of these verses and when we grew weary of the wait, our God provided the strength to continue.
Recently with the reoccurring ovarian cancer diagnosis we have been in the “wait” again. We are living life with the hope in God’s capabilities. These are the things that bring us peace, comfort, and joy from these verses:
- God will never become faint or grow weary. I love a good retorical question because it makes its point in a sneaky way. The author, Isaiah, knew the Israelites knew the answer–of course they had known and had certainly heard of the abilities of their God. Apparently though they needed a little reminding, just like we sometimes do. Isaiah 40:28 says “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.” Because they were in captivity, I’m sure they were weary and tired of having to perform the tasks of a slave to the Babylonians. Isaiah reminded them of the creator of the universe who had fabricated the heavens and the earth, the night and the day, the land and the sea, the creatures and even mankind. He was and is a very capable God. Their freedom from captivity was not too hard—He was not unaware of their needs! And . . . He is aware of ours!
- He is the giver of power and strength. Our Lord knows exactly when to give power to those who are becoming exhausted and worn down. He knows when to increase the strength of the broken and shattered. In verse 29 it says, “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.” When you find yourself weary, it is then that God’s glory and strength will shine through you and strengthen you. It is in that moment, in your inability, that God will pour into you, and His power will flow out of you. Don’t miss the opportunity to be a vessel for His strength.
- While you are in the wait, God is ready to renew. Verses 30 and 31 give us this promise. “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” I love this promise that God gives the Israelites. They could be sure that their God would renew their strength if they were waiting on the Lord. This waiting was not meant to be sitting passively doing nothing. The waiting was and is a time for seeking God through prayer and meditation in His word. We receive His strength when we put away our desires and our goals, and watch God transform us with His power in our lives. Then we will “mount up with wings like eagles“; we “shall run and not be weary“; and we will “walk and not faint.”
We have been in a season of waiting ourselves. We have been watching God at work in our lives and giving us strength when we have been weak. He has showed himself faithful to be our rock when the trials of life have felt like they just might overwhelm us. Let me explain some of our recent medical news.
Back in late May I started experiencing some pain in my right pelvic area. We knew my CA 125 numbers had gone up in March from January, but we weren’t sure if the pain was related to the cancer or not. I scheduled an appointment with Mayo, but because of Covid 19, they could not see me until the middle of June. We didn’t tell our kids or extended family because we had been having such a good season of bliss, plus we knew that Cason was getting ready to propose to Leighanne and she was also getting ready to celebrate graduating from high school and getting her Associates Degree in Chemistry from college. So with this in mind, Ben and I snuck down to Mayo for scans and blood work.
The results were not great.
My CA 125 numbers have increased to 239 from 149 in March. I now have tumors in my colon and 3 places in the pelvic area. In addition to that my right lung has tiny blood clots and I am back on Eliquis(a blood-thinner).
I’m so glad we waited to share that news with our kids, because we were able to give them a beautiful, fun-filled summer. We needed to let the realities of life stand on hold, while we celebrated a few successes.
On the 25th of July we finally celebrated Leighanne’s graduation. We had a pool party until the rain came right in the middle of it. Instead of the typical south Georgia rain and then sunshine, it flooded, and lightning crashed down all around. We hid out for about an hour waiting for the deluge to end. When it did, the sun did peek out and we all finally got to enjoy the nacho bar. Oh the joys of outside parties! Ha!
Cason and Leighanne then gave us a little bit of surprising news. They had been saying they were going to wait until next summer to get married, but they have decided to get married sooner, way sooner–like December 2020 sooner! Wow!
We gathered our family together for lunch on a Sunday afternoon to share our recent discoveries from the scans at Mayo. It was incredibly difficult to explain the news that the cancer was/is spreading in my body, and that they are giving me a life span of between 7 months to maybe a year based on the recent rate of growth. I teared up as I explained that Ben and I had already done the “adult” things like meet with Hospice to talk about their services, and to plan my “Celebration of Life” service. I told them that we didn’t want to burden them with these daunting tasks, but that we also took care of these things so we could set them aside and get on with living the beautiful life that God is giving us. I shared with them that we didn’t want to live life in fear of dying, but that I wanted to live each day doing the things that would bring Glory to God and enrich our lives as a family.
You see, I really do believe my God is capable of healing this nasty, invasive cancer. I have no doubt I will be healed. I will either be healed with a miracle on Earth or I will be healed with a cancer free body in Heaven.
I’m trusting in God as we live day by day, praying for that miracle, and believing that God’s perfect plan will unfold in our lives.
We all get this choice everyday. We can choose to trust God and have faith in His plan, or we can fear life and/or death and miss out on some of His blessings he’s just waiting to bestow—like the strength of the Lord empowering us when we are weak.
The choice is yours.
Every
single
Day!
Thank you for sharing your life, Julie and Ben. My prayers are for a miracle that only our faithful Lord can do.
Thank you so much for your prayers!
I work with Ginny Wagner at CRES and she shared your testimony. My husband and I learned I had invasive breast cancer just after he returned from deployment to Iraq with the Marines in 2007. He was a Navy Chaplain and our strong faith in the Lord plus support from family and friends encouraged me to keep going daily! Your Scriptures chosen for this blog are powerful! You and your dear family are in our prayers during this challenging time. God has enabled you to encourage all of us through your strong testimony. We pray that God Who is our Great Physician will touch you and Heal you in a miraculous way!
Praying with and for you and your beautiful family, Julie. ❤️
Thank you sweet lady! Keep writing and sharing your voice!
You and your family are in my prayers.
Thanks so much!
Julie you are in my prayers daily and your beautiful family is too.
Thank you for lifting us up!
You are an amazing woman who has shared a difficult journey and brought countless people to know our Lord Jesus through your testimony and faith. We will continue to pray for you and your family and know that you are in God’s hands. Fearless faith remains strong.
In God’s hands—a beautiful place to be! Thank you for your prayers!
Your faith and positive outlooks is such an inspiration. I am happy your family had such a nice summer. Congratulations to your daughter for both the graduation and proposal. My thought and prayers are with you and Ben.
Thank you so much!! The Lord has blessed us with so much. I really appreciate your prayers.
Incredible how you’re able to highlight your blessings and faith during this time. Truly inspirational. Thank you.
Ben has shared with me some of your story. I feel like we have had some similar overlapping parts to our journeys. May God shine His face of goodness all over you!
Oh Julie! You’re such an inspiration! I will continue praying hard for 2020 to finish up with joy and celebration for your family. Wedding planning will definitely help with that!
Yes it will! Thank you so much for your prayers sweet friend. I sure miss those care free days and fun times of college life! Hugs!
Dear Julie, you are an amazing lady! You love the Lord and bear witness of HIM in a mighty way. You inspire me to do better. Thank you sweet friend! Your beautiful family is loving and kind. Your husband is such a helpmate as God ordained marriage. I admit tears came as I read the closing, but the hope and assurance of eternal life with a perfect body reassured me. The Scripture you shared gives me strength today. Your precious testimony encourages. Love and prayers. Carolyn
Thank you for your sweet words. You have kept us before Jesus and I thank you!
Praying for you and your family. Your life is an amazing testimony of faith and trust in our Lord and Savior. Much love…
Thank you so much! We feel the peace that Jesus gives.
What a testimony of God’s faithfulness to His people of old and to you! Victory will be yours either on earth or in His presence. As Paul wrote, “For me to live is Christ, to die is gain.” If we are honest with ourselves, no one wants to die. God is so good to us here and we enjoy His blessings. Julie, you are an inspiration and an example of, “God in you, the hope of glory.” Praying for you and your family as you continue this journey .
Truth! Including the not wanting to die. I’m praying for more time also. But trusting in His answer.
Thank you for sharing your journey with us, Julie. Something that has really stood out is your calmness when sharing it with us. That speaks volumes about your faith and complete reliance on God and God’s faithfulness in being with you and carrying you through this. You and your family will have my continued prayers.
Thank you for your words! We can feel the prayers!
Julie and Ben,
You are in my prayers and I am thanking him for what he is doing and for what he will do in your lives. God bless you both!
Pam Curtis ❤️
Thank you so much! I’m grateful for the prayers prayed on our behalf. Hugs!
I love you, sweet, fearless friend. Prayers!
Back at you sweet lady!
Thank you for always pointing others to Jesus despite the challenges you face. Much love to you and the rest of the Agee family! Praying for this incredible family!
Julie, love you and praying for you! You surely are here to continue to teach us on how to stand when the storms of live abuse us. I believe that the Lord’s power has not diminished and that with a thought, a touch or spoken word you would be healed from this horrendous disease. He is the author and finisher of our faith and His ways and plans are perfect. I do ask in Jesus name and the power of His precious blood to kill every cancer cell in your body and that you would be healed on this side of heaven. Jesus, touch Julie and heal her. I am so thankful for the Lord and what he has done and will continue to do in your life. Is anything to hard for our God? The answer is resounding no! ❤️❤️
You have such a beautiful story of faith. Thank you for sharing your journey, prompting us all to remember our lives are to Glorify God and his endless love. I am praying for you and your family.
I’ll admit that I wanted to hear a different story but God knows the story He is writing in your life. I celebrate the joys you’ve had this summer and will continue to pray for you as you walk this path hand in hand with Jesus, Ben and your family!! You are loved!!
Sweet Julie,
I remember the challenges surrounding Leighanne’s adoption and through all these years you continue to let Jesus shine in the midst of the trials of life. You are a blessing to so many. Thank you for pointing us again to the giver of life. You are so right – we have a choice every single day. Love you my friend.
You are such a Christian Inspiration to everyone, your
Radiant personality, beautiful inside and out, always positive &
Always pointing others to Jesus 👏🏻, May God continue to heal you in His plans for your life. May your days be long on this earth & will continue to pray for y’all on the journey called life 🙏🙏🙏🤗❤️😘
Julie,
Thank you fir being a light for Jesus! You are amazing and have blessed my walk with God tremendously. I pray for you and your precious family.
Julie, your faithfulness is an inspiration to everyone that knows you! You’re a strong warrior and I have no doubt that God is in control of all things. My prayer is that you will find joy in the days ahead and that His will be done 🙏 Now, you have to get busy planning a wedding 👰🏼 Love you ❤️
Praying for you daily! Thank you for continuing to display your faith no matter what the circumstances! You inspire me to be that trusting!
Thank you, Julie, for sharing your heart and fearless faith with those of us who love you. I will continue to pray for the miracle of your healing on earth.
You inspire me to be a better person as you stand in faith “in the valley of the shadow”. I’m also claiming His promise to be with you. ♥️♥️
Julie,
Your strong faith is a blessing to so many people. Thank you for sharing your cancer journey and for being honest through it all. I will continue to pray for you and your family.