The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away

So, I just received some bad news tonight from my friend. Sometime around the 1st of this year, his Dad, John, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. There was a tumor. It was removed. The doctors were sure that they had gotten it all and that the cancer had not spread. It's been an uphill battle ever since. Well, this past week, John was admitted into the hospital. He was running a fever and just didn't feel good. The doctors said that he's in kidney and liver failure right now. At first, they couldn't explain why. And unfortunately, due to the frailty of his body and his condition, they were unable to run the necessary tests to find out what caused it. The family has been told that in order for him to live even a month, he needs dialysis. And unfortunately, they can't guarantee that he'll live another month even with the dialysis because his liver is in such bad condition. The doctor's conclusion: The cancer has spread to both organs. John's options: Have dialysis and maybe live a month. Or call in Hospice, go home and enjoy his last two weeks of life. They say his kidneys won't be able to function more than two weeks without the dialysis.

I guess I should tell you, for those of you who don't know, this "friend" is my ex-husband and John is his Dad. Yes, that would make my current marriage my second. But that's a whole 'nother post in itself.

I tell you all of this because for 7 years, this man was my father-in-law. I'm asking that you please be in prayer for this family. They've had some hard knocks and they need God's mercy, peace and strength. I don't think they know how great our God is --- that he'll carry them through this difficult time. Please pray that John will come to know the Lord before it's too late.