Tonight's post is the final one in this story of all we have been through thus far concerning Noah's health. We decided to share it for one reason and one reason only- to glorify and lift high the name of Jesus. HE is the one who healed our son. HE is the only reason our precious boy is thriving today and sleeping soundly in his room as I type. So often people ask for prayer during a crisis. We asked for prayer and will never be able to thank you enough for interceding on our behalf. But all too often you never get to hear the praise of how God has answered those prayers. We PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME for what He has done... for the miracle we have seen with our own eyes. In His will, He chose to heal our son. But can I also tell you that even if He had chosen not to- He still would have been good. He is perfect in all of His ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. His ways are not our ways. Yet His plans for us are always good. There is a purpose for everything. If you are walking through a valley right now- you are not alone. The Lord is with you. Even when you can't humanly understand your circumstances, trust His heart!
Part 4-
On Thursday, February 11, (the day after Noah's last doctor's appointment) the rash on the sides of his neck had spread down his back, around the front of his neck. It almost looked like hives everywhere. I called the pediatrician and said that I think he might be having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic. Remember, he was just put on an antibiotic for an ear infection. She said to give him benadryl and see if the hives got better. The odd thing was that he wasn't itching. Huge red, raised whelps all over his body yet he wasn't itching. She said that if it continued to spread and get worse even after the dose of benadryl, then we needed to take him to urgent care or to the hospital. I gave Noah benadryl and it did nothing. The rashing continued to spread. When Dalton got home from work, we sat down at the table for dinner. Noah hadn't been eating much lately so we had picked up his favorite meal that night. He wouldn't touch his food. He would only drink. I quickly realized that Noah was only using his right hand to pick up the drink. He was cradling his left hand in his lap. I discreetly brought it to Dalton's attention. We asked him to please pick up his drink with 2 hands so that it wouldn't spill. He tried to and dropped it and began to cry. "I can't pick it up. My hand hurts." He couldn't use his left hand. He would just hold it next to his stomach or let it fall in his lap. He cried if you touched it or tried to open his fingers. (He had them clinched shut). "My hand is bleeding", he insisted. "No Noah, your hand is not bleeding. Look at it. It's fine." It definitely was not bleeding and there was no sign of discoloring or swelling. "No! It's bleeding on the inside", he insisted. "I can feel it!" (We now wonder if he was feeling a rush of blood to it from the inside. About 30 minutes later, it was suddenly swollen.)
I decided to give the boys a bath. I wanted to try and help Noah settle down and get ready for bed. He was shaking uncontrollably in the bathtub and crying. The water was warm but he insisted that he was freezing. He started acting confused. His eyes were rolling around and dilated. He said that his head felt weird. I was extremely concerned. I quickly got him out of the bathtub and curled him up in a towel. I told Dalton that I was going to get his pajamas on and try to get him warm. I laid him on the floor in the living room and started to put warm pajamas on him.
He looked up at me and whispered, "I know how I'm going to get better, mommy. But it's a secret."
"What?", I said. "What do you mean? We don't keep secrets from mommy. You can tell me anything."
Then he said, "God told me that Noah is going to die. That's how I'm going to get better."
I couldn't believe my ears. "Noah, don't say that!", I said. "Nothing is going to happen to you. We are all working so hard to find out what's wrong and help get you better."
"It's okay mommy", Noah said. "I'm going to get a treasure." (And then he smiled a little cheeky grin. The calm in his voice was unnerving. When he had woken up in the middle of the night before saying that he felt like he was dying, it was through tears and he was clearly afraid. This night it was different. He was so calm, matter of fact, and at peace.)
"What are you talking about? What treasure? Please don't talk like this."
(His eyes lit up) "It's like pure gold, mom!"
I frantically called Dalton in the room and asked him to please finish getting Noah's pajamas on. And I went to my bathroom and sobbed. This was the first time I really fell apart. I couldn't catch my breath. You know when you have held it in all that you can? I was done. Exhausted. Terrified. It was the last straw. I called my parents who were out of town at the time. Mom could barely understand what I was saying. I was trembling. When I could finally verbalize what was going on, we were all panicking and in tears. "I'm not going to lose him", I said. "We are going back to the hospital right now. Pray!!!" We loaded up everyone and headed for the ER at the children's hospital.
We dropped our 2 year old and 7 month old off at my brother, Daniel's, house around midnight. If you need a good laugh, ask him sometime about how that went. A single, 22 year old guy with 2 small babies. Never changed a diaper, had no clue how to make a bottle of formula. We had left in such a hurry that I didn't exactly have things organized or in order. Not even close. I dropped off Cohen in only a diaper (it was February). I sat an entire container of formula on Daniel's coffee table. "What do I do with this?", he said. "Just read the box, add water. Love you. You're the best.", I said and off we went. His story of how that night played out is golden. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall. I'll leave that story to him if he wishes to share. But truly, he's the best brother and took them in a heartbeat on zero notice and guess what- everyone survived.
So off to the children's hospital we went. Noah was in so much pain and crying that he just wanted his daddy to hold him. So Dalton snuggled him from the car to the ER. It wasn't until we got back to the evaluation room that we realized, he couldn't walk. Shocked doesn't even begin to describe how we felt. What was happening?! They asked us to put him down so they could see him walk. (Remember he also wasn't using his left hand.) He buckled and fell and cried. It was just like when he couldn't use his left hand anymore. It happened so suddenly, no warning, seemingly no progression. So now he couldn't use his left hand or walk. This had all happened within a few hours. His body was covered in (hives, I thought) that benadryl wouldn't touch. He wasn't eating anything. They tried to get an IV started. His veins kept collapsing. But he needed fluids. They ran all of the usual blood work- Checking for a blood infection, sepsis, CBC count, you name it. The same tests we had run in the ER previously. They quickly came back and said they were admitting him into the hospital for further testing. They wanted the full rheumatology team to evaluate him in the morning and see where to go from there. So we had to wait from about 1am to 6am for the rheumatology team to get to the hospital and make their morning rounds. It was a long several hours. His brothers were able to come visit him quick before going to stay with someone else the next day. That lifted his spirits a little. The rheumatologist came by to see him around 6am. Noah was the first patient he saw that morning. This doctor was seriously sent by the Lord. He would end up being the doctor that worked with Noah even months later. He was extremely knowledgeable, honest about the severity and thorough. When he walked in the room, he had been reviewing his chart. It was clear from his demeanor that things weren't looking good. He asked a lot of questions, did a lot of observing of Noah and listening to what all had been taking place over the last few months. He wanted to know how we snowballed to this point. He was nodding his head and his eyes were big and his tone was solemn. All I wanted to know was what we were dealing with. Please say something! By now, Noah's mouth and lips were beginning to swell, he had been talking funny during the early hours that morning (sometimes saying things that didn't make sense, other times just talking with a lisp because his tongue and lips were swelling). I felt like- seriously, what else could happen? The symptom list was too long to count. Now the doctor ordered an oxygen monitor at all times to make sure his throat was not closing up. This was also the first time that everyone started wearing gloves while interacting with Noah. They had no idea what was going on with him or if it was contagious. So everyone was ordered to put on a gown and gloves when entering the room. After evaluating him, the rheumatologist informed me that we weren't dealing with an allergic reaction or hives. This was some sort of a rash, accompanied by bleeding/bruising. Since we got there around 1am and we were waiting to see doctors, we had covered Noah in blankets and tried to let him rest. When the doctor pulled the blankets back to evaluate him, we were all surprised at how quickly things were getting worse. Some of his spots were raised whelps, other spots were clearly flush against the skin and purple or red bruising/bleeding. He was bleeding under the skin. Noah was in excruciating pain. We still had not been able to get an IV in. The doctor was especially concerned about his increasing lack of mobility. Things were changing fast. They gave him tylenol until we could get a successful IV in. My precious sister-in-law, Meagan joined us at the hospital early that morning. She was able to be there when the doctor arrived. She is a nurse and helped me sit down and write out a timeline. Everyone wanted to know all of his symptoms, when things happened or changed. How high were the fevers?...So many questions. My brain felt like mud. Sweet Meagan helped me get things on paper so we could remember and be accurate in our answers and this allowed Dalton to just cuddle our boy. She was also able to help me understand what all the doctors were saying and what each test was looking for, etc. She understood all of the lingo that was way over my head. Sometimes when my heart would get overwhelmed, I would be looking the doctor right in the eyes and yet not hear or understand what was being said. As if I was in a weird dream and I couldn't come to grips with the fact that this was reality. Is he really talking about our Noah? In those moments, the doctors would leave the room and I would say, "What did he just say? What does that mean? Etc." Then Meagan was able to re-explain it to me in a way that I could process it and regurgitated things and details that I had forgotten already. I'm so thankful to Jesus that she was there.
Noah got moved to a room upstairs that had a window for constant observation. He was getting worse by the minute it seemed. They sent in a VAC team to get an IV going. The bruising was increasing by the minute. Noah was in so much pain that he couldn't lay still. He was thrashing from side to side in the bed. By the time we got to the new room, his abdomen was also bruising and bleeding under the skin. I tried to console him and keep him lying down. But he was in so much pain that he kept trying to sit up. When I would sit him up, he would begin vomiting. We found out later that the vomiting was just from his level of pain. For the first time, we got an IV in and the rheumatologist ordered Toradol immediately, an anti-inflammatory type medicine. Within minutes, Noah started responding. I'm so thankful the Lord gave the doctor wisdom to order Toradol. This was the first time we saw any improvement. A complete answer to prayer. He started to calm. The rashing started improving for the first time.
After the medicine was administered and he was starting to calm down, the doctor waved me out of the room. Noah's team of doctors were huddled together. The head rheumatologist spoke up. "If he doesn't start eating, we're going to have to put in a feeding tube. We will continue to run tests and get to the bottom of his issues, but right now we are just trying to get him stable. The toradol seems to be helping and settling his body. I'm really concerned about him. I've ordered a bone scan for Tuesday morning. That was the earliest they could do it. I hate that we have to wait that long. We are keeping our eye on him. Alert us of any changes. For now, he will remain on the toradol every 4 hours and we are watching and waiting for blood work results to come back. Noah is not going anywhere anytime soon. He is exactly where he needs to be. I have several different specialists coming to evaluate him tomorrow. We are casting a wide net. I'll let you know as results come in."
I went back into the room feeling the weight of what I had just heard. A feeding tube, a bone scan, we are not leaving, trying to get him stable.... My boy. They are talking about my son. I looked at Noah, who had finally fallen asleep after the medicine kicked in. His little body bore evidence of the dire situation that he was in. You expect a child who looks like that to have been in a terrible accident. Only that wasn't the case. This had happened slowly, over time in the safety of our home. No traumatic event, no sudden cause. All the pain he had been feeling for months, finally revealing itself to the surface. I took a deep breath and relayed the information to Dalton and Meagan. We all looked at Noah, sleeping so soundly for the first time. Covered in bruises and streaks and whelps. Pale, fragile. It was silent for a moment. That's when Meagan said it to me. "Lindsay, do you realize Noah hasn't talked at all today?" I looked at her with an odd face. "What?" "Since I arrived early this morning, he hasn't said one word. He has only moaned and cried in pain." I hadn't noticed. How had I not noticed? I was in such a frenzy trying to watch symptoms, answer questions, make sure he was breathing. I hadn't even noticed that he had stopped talking. "Are you sure?", I said. "I've been watching all day since this morning.", Meagan said. "He isn't speaking words at all, other than to point to what is hurting when they ask him or to cry and moan in pain." He cried all day. Maybe the tears and the screaming made me feel like he was talking. But he wasn't. Not a word.
Now he was asleep. REST. CALM. For the first time in a long time. He slept so peacefully. I just kept looking at his little body. Wondering where it all went wrong. Thanking God that we took him to the hospital when we did. What if we had put him to bed that night? Stayed home? I couldn't even go there. Look at him- Every bruise and bloody streak. He was clearly fighting. But they didn't know if his body was fighting infection or attacking itself. I felt under attack. As if the very gates of hell had charged my little boy. Then I realized, God knows exactly what that feels like. They really did attack his son. The weight of the world, the full guilt and punishment of sin- on the son of God. And in that moment, I was reminded once again. God was there. Right there in that hospital room, watching over our boy.
When the first dose of Toradol wore off, Noah's little body flamed up worse than it was before. His face was almost unrecognizable. The pain was back. He woke up hysterical. They gave him another dose of toradol and within minutes, his body settled again. It was the craziest thing to watch. On the clock, as the medicine wore off, his body would start spiraling out of control again.
The phone calls began to pour in from friends, family, loved ones. The messages, the texts, the LOVE. We have never felt more loved, more prayed for. The body of Christ- being the body, interceding on behalf of our little boy. And GOD HEARD. We asked people to pray that Noah would begin eating. He woke up and asked for a cracker the next morning. 6 crackers later- No feeding tube was needed. He was eating. Every time his eyes opened, I was ready with food to keep him eating. The longer the medicine stayed in his system, the less severe his rebounds were. But the unknown was still ever present. Renewed strength also meant more questions. He wanted to know why he was there. What was wrong with him? With the bone scan approaching, my heart was extremely heavy. I remember getting a shower at the hospital and falling apart- bursting into tears. I couldn't fall apart in front of Noah. We needed to be strong. After Noah and Dalton would fall asleep at night, I would stay up and pray like never before and cry. I begged God for Noah's life, for healing. I would often use those wee hours of the morning to write little updates on Facebook of specific things that we needed prayer over. I remember one particular evening when Noah was upset and was trying to pull his IV's out. I rocked him to sleep that night singing 'Jesus loves me' and reminded myself with each line that Jesus loved Noah... even more than I did. That Noah belonged to Jesus. Than in Noah's weakness, the Lord would prove Himself strong.
"Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong. They are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me.... the Bible tells me so."
I believe the Bible through and through. It is our only source of TRUTH in this broken world. And that night, God did a mighty work in my heart. A painful but needed- plowing over my heart. Many of you may not know this, but Dalton and I were foster parents before having Noah. We fostered 4 precious children. Some we had only for 3 weeks, others for several months. Regardless of how long we had them, we knew that we were only entrusted with them for a season. They were not ours to keep forever. We had to be willing to let go, thank God for the time we had with them, and trust them into His hands. It's no different with our own 3 boys now. They are gifts from the hand of God. They are His. They always have been and always will be. He has entrusted them to us for a season and for that I am forever thankful. But that night I had to remind myself that Noah was the Lord's. God had given him to us. And while fear had formerly gripped my heart. I let go that night. I acknowledged that I wasn't in control, that I couldn't fix this. It was a time where my faith needed to take action with the posture of my heart. Where I needed to lift Noah up to God with hands wide open. I believed that God was able to heal him if it was His will to do so. But I also had to let go and trust Noah into the hands of Almighty God. If God chose to take Him... I had to be okay with that. I had to trust Noah into the hands of the One who knit Him together in my womb. After all, what safer place is there to be? He would be safe there. In life or in death- God was going to take care of Noah.
We were able to have conversations with Noah that we never would have had if he had not been so sick. Noah was very aware of his situation and how bad things were at times. He asked us a lot of questions about Heaven. We were able to have conversations about how this earth is not our home or our final destination. We are on a journey, an adventure (every boy loves a good adventure) to follow Jesus to our Heavenly home. For those that know Christ, the best is yet to come! We have a heavenly home that is far greater than we can ever imagine. That death is not something that has to be feared for those that know Christ. We told him that we pray that all of our family members live a really long time, but that everyone is going to die at some point. But praise Jesus, our goodbyes are not forever for those that are in Christ. I will always treasure those conversations and opportunities that we had to share the Truth of God's Word.
An infectious disease doctor was ordered to see Noah. After observing him, he said Noah didn't look consistent with anything he had seen before. He felt rheumatology was the right path to examine. Noah's mobility began to return. First his hand, then his walking. The doctor said that his lack of mobility was a result of pain and not a loss of movement. Praise the Lord! As we managed his pain, he regained mobility. Noah was able to visit the play room at the hospital finally since infectious disease had been ruled out. This enabled him to get out of the room for the first time. Even just to sit in a wagon and ride down the hallway was refreshing for him and lifted his spirits. He got a visit from therapy dogs. Even the smallest smile was medicine to our hearts. Now it was time for the bone scan. Noah was injected with nuclear isotope for the bone scan. We had been separated from our younger sons for several days at this point. This made things even trickier. Because I was in contact with Noah at the hospital, I now could no longer send milk for our baby, Eli. I was in contact with nuclear medicine which could transfer to my milk and harm the baby. Eli stopped eating. As a mommy, the emotional pull was getting harder now that our younger 2 boys were struggling as well. The day for the bone scan finally came. Noah was put to sleep under anesthesia and they wheeled him away. That was a hard moment. They were looking for an abscess of the bone, a bone lesion or bone cancer. And you know what the bone scan showed? Nothing. Nothing abnormal. No abscess of the bone, no bone cancer! We had officially ruled out bone cancer. Noah was seen by a hematology oncologist. He spent a long time reviewing Noah's charts with a co-worker. We were anticipating him ordering a bone marrow biopsy. He did not. Here is what he said. "I deal with childhood cancer all day long. That's my job. Here are the reasons this does not look consistent with cancer to me... After reviewing everything thoroughly, I strongly believe that we are not dealing with any type of childhood cancer. I can only speak to my specialty- here is what I know. The location of pain in the bones is not what I typically see with cancer. We normally see pain in the middle of the bone where the bone marrow gathers (the front middle of the thigh, the middle of the back, etc). Noah's pain is often in a joint. His shoulder, his foot, his lower back, his neck, his hand, etc. Also, in a cancer patient. The pain in their bones does not increase with mashing or pressing on the bone. That's because the pain is in the bone marrow. Squeezing their hand or foot would not increase the pain. The pain is constant, always the same. Noah's pain was worse when you touched him, moved him, squeezed his hand, etc. His blood counts aren't consistent with cancer- They are off a little bit but not significantly off like I normally see with cancer. While it's true that CBC count does not always show up abnormally right away with cancer, the amount of time that Noah has been having problems is significant. It should have showed up by now. The bone scan came back clear. The rebound he is experiencing with Toradol is unusual. While we see kids lose their mobility, it doesn't return with medicine. Toradol wouldn't touch their pain. You don't see random upswings, even if small in significance. Kids with cancer continue to get worse with time, with no upswings whatsoever. He very well may have a blood disorder. This could explain the problems with his blood clotting and even the bruising. He should definitely be tested for it. You have to do that testing when he has no fever or inflammation, otherwise the results will be skewed. However, I would isolate the problems with his blood. If he has a blood disorder, then everything else he is experiencing is completely separate. A different issue entirely. He has frequent infections, but he does heal from them over time. Example, he was not hospitalized with pneumonia. His X-rays were showing improvement. His ear drums are not bursting when infected. In cancer patients, the types of infections usually end up more severe because their body stops fighting them entirely. I feel he's in the right area with rheumatology. His story and pictures are puzzling at best. I would let them follow him closely as an outpatient once this 'episode' is under control. This is now out of my specialty, but it looks more like a rheumatology or autoimmune issue to me."
The rheumatologist returned to see us. He said that his inflammatory markers were extremely high. You could tell that just from looking at him. You normally see that in someone with severe allergies. Yet Noah's allergy testing always came back negative. He tested positive on his ANCA screening. That meant that he had an antibody present that usually presents itself with something like Crohn's disease. Only, Noah did not have Crohn's disease. They could tell us everything that was abnormal with Noah's blood work, but not why. He didn't perfectly fit any mold. Some of his symptoms were consistent with rheumatory arthritis. Only, arthritis doesn't attack your face. Noah's face was extremely inflamed. They cut off the Toradol doses and he had no further relapses or aggressiveness in his symptoms. So, they decided to discharge us and follow us closely outpatient. They were hoping some of the lab work that had been sent off would come back with answers. It did not.
He was sent home with zero medicine. They didn't know what to give him because they didn't know what they were treating. He saw the rheumatologist every week at first, then every 2 weeks, then every month. And you know what they found? Nothing. No concrete answers. He was tested for a blood disorder. It came back negative. After discharge, it seemed every week or so a symptom would disappear. One by one until there were no symptoms present any longer. They kept running tests, checking his blood work. The last time they checked it, everything that had come back abnormal before was completely normal, healed on its own. When we were discharged from the hospital, they were initially thinking this looked like an autoimmune disease of some sort. That's what they were thinking and expecting to discover. By April, the rheumatologist was quick to say that the further we were removed from his incident in the hospital, the less and less this looked autoimmune to him. "In autoimmune diseases, you don't see people just get better like this- especially when they are not being treated by any medicine. It doesn't ebb and flow like that. They are sick until you treat it." In the hospital they found 2 antibodies present. One that causes inflammation of the blood vessels and therefore, bad circulation. That could have explained the hands and feet turning blue. It is especially dangerous because if the limbs are receiving poor blood circulation that could also mean that his vital organs are receiving poor blood circulation. Guess what? That antibody was no longer present when they tested his levels in May. Gone. As if it was never there. If you saw him today, you would never know that he was ever ill. Noah's color has returned. He is gaining weight again. He is thriving, running. In fact, he has not been sick since he was discharged in February. Not one cold or fever. It's now September. Months of healing, health. Want to tell me that God doesn't do miracles today? Ask Noah.
On March 12, we had our friends, Chip and Michelle, over for lunch at the house. They asked for an update on Noah. How had he been doing lately? Here comes Noah, flying to the table from the living room. "Doctor's didn't make me better. Only God made me better."
Amen, little man.
Fast forward to April 17th. I am driving home from church with the boys in the back of the van. Noah is listening to the Bible app on my phone. I can hear it reading out loud to him while he looks at the pictures on the screen. "There was a little girl who was sick and at the point of death. Jesus touched her and healed her." I hear excitement from the back seat, "Look mom! It's just like me!" Did Jesus touch you when he healed you, Noah? "Yes. He put his hand right over my eyes and he healed me."
Remember I told you early on that Noah has always been a dreamer? One day we were driving down the road and an ambulance drove by. Noah said to me, "Mom, I had a dream recently that I was riding in an ambulance and I was scared. Daddy wasn't with us. But you were sitting right beside me and so was Jesus. And he helped me to not be afraid." I quickly responded, "Noah, you really did ride in an ambulance when you were 2. But daddy wasn't with us because he was following us in the car right behind the ambulance." (remember Christmas Eve 2013?) Then Noah smiled the biggest smile, "Wow, mom! So it wasn't a dream. It really happened. Just like when Jesus was with me in the hospital this time."
In May at our monthly visit with our rheumatologist, Noah was dismissed as a patient. We went in for a normal appointment and here is what the doctor said... "I really wish that we had answers. I'm so sorry that we do not. But all of his blood levels continue to come back normal. He's healthy. There really is no need for him to continue following up with me. He's better. Here is my card. If you have any issues or if any symptoms return, call me. We will see him right away. Otherwise, he doesn't need me any longer." I couldn't believe what we were hearing. No more doctor appointments. Just done.
One of my favorite conversations from Noah about his healing was at bedtime recently. Noah (4) and his brother, Cohen (2) share a room. I love to hear their conversations late at night as they are falling asleep. One night Cohen was scared of the dark. And here is what Noah said to him. The wisdom and knowledge he shares sometimes is truly of God. "Cohen. When I was your age, I was afraid of the dark too. But now I know that Jesus is the Light of the World. And He is right here with us. So you don't have to be afraid. Just say the name 'Jesus'. And when you're my age, you'll learn that God can heal you too. God wants to live in your heart, Cohen. Because He loves you so much. He died on the cross for you. God wants me to tell you about Him so that he can live in your heart."
I'll close with a conversation we had just this week... We were driving to church last night (Wednesday) and we were practicing a verse that the boys have been memorizing together. Psalm 23:
"The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His Name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For Thou art with me.... (then Noah interrupts)
"Mom! That's my favorite part!.... "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For God is with me!"
"Me too, buddy. Me too." That's my favorite. We serve an incredible God who never leaves us or forsakes us. Who never treats us as our sins deserve but lavishes us with His grace and mercy. This song has been going through my head tonight, "Your kindness never ceases. Your compassion never fails. Your faithfulness overwhelms my soul. And every morning Your mercies are new. And every morning You are faithful and true. In life or death my hope is in You, Jesus. My hope is in You."
I pray this story points you to the feet of Jesus. The One who loves you, the One who died for you. The One who will uphold you in the darkest hours of life. Psalm 103 says this,
"Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His Holy Name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His deeds to the people of Israel. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever. He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on His children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear Him, and His righteousness with their children's children- with those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts. The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do His bidding, who obey His word. Praise the Lord, all His heavenly hosts, you His servants who do His will. Praise the Lord, all His works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, O my Soul"
Praising Him tonight for the work He has done in our Noah bear! We love you all!
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