I understand your hesitancy and I appreciate you taking the time to go ahead and respond. I haven't read Adams but I have a friend in seminary that speaks very highly of him. Adams' work has apparently helped him with some marital situations that he and his wife were struggling with.
For what it is worth I can also tell you from personal experience that what you said here is true:
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My own view is that the Lord most often uses extraordinary means according to the need of the situation and ultimately He is absolutely Sovereign in this as in all things. For example, I believe He uses extraordinary means to teach lessons that can't be learned other ways or He wants to make a particular point, or He may use extraordinary means when the medical means are not available.
To my doctors surprise the Lord sustained me quite a bit longer than expected. Finally this one lady oncologist said well why don't we try this type of chemo (don't ask me what it was) since he doesn't have anything to lose. It was a long and difficult road but I wouldn't trade those days for any other time in my life. The Lord kept me closer then than ever before and it was during that time of sickness that I was finally able to see the Bible as really and truly being "living and powerful"
So, in my situation it seems that the Lord supernaturally sustained me until a natural means could be brought to use. And I know he had a purpose!<img src="/forum/images/graemlins/ClapHands.gif" alt="" />
Thanks for sharing how wonderfully God has sustained you through difficult days while you were dealing with cancer. I can relate with you in having gone through some very difficult health related experiences too. Truly when you are flat on your back and dying the only way to look is up.
It's experiences like these that help us to relate to the Psalmist who wrote, "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4) It's the reality of His abiding presence that sustains us and gives us victory in all curcumstances.
Each day that He adds to our lives is an opportunity to walk with the King and be a blessing. He definately has a purpose in all this. It's all to the glory of His grace!
Thanks for sharing that testimony of the Lord's faithfulness in sustaining you and drawing near while He made His presense known and His precious Words "alive and powerful". I completely identified with your words about not trading those difficult days for anything and having been through some long and difficult days myself, I can, and have, said the same things, for He has made Himself known, and real and most precious, and what can be compared to the reality of the riches Christ in the soul?
Like you, my observation in the previous post was taken from personal experience of the Lord's supernatural working, as well as a considerable study of the subject in the subsequent years.
I believe yours is a beautiful testimony of one aspect of the very essence of experiential Christianity, and it warms my heart to rejoice with you in His Goodness <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/bravo.gif" alt="" />.