A special day today. Some Calgary visitors from our church in Calgary – Bethel United Reformed Church. Pastor Keith Davis and his wife Laura checked in on Zach and the Hoogerdyk and Teitsma families. That’s cool.
The theme for today is: Praise.
Psalm 34:1. Continual praise. Praise is sanctifying. Praise is unifying. Praise is magnifying.
It’s Friday. The weekend looms. Thank God it’s Friday. I don’t say that flippantly. We’re thankful for every day. But Friday is Friday. Everyone usually has a bit of an extra jump to their step. The end of a work week. Beginning of a weekend. Whatcha doin’ on Friday? Got plans for the weekend?
For God’s children, whether it’s Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday, every day is Praiseday. Whether it’s a good day, bad day, sad day or happy day, every day is Praiseday. Psalm 34 says so.
Psalm 34. Praise God. Praise God all the time. Not sometimes. But anytime and every time. Not some days. But any day and every day. Praise is healthy. Praise is wholesome. Praise is holy. Praise is sanctifying, unifying, and magnifying.
Praise is sanctifying. Praise changes us, sets us apart, and makes us holy. Praise makes us grow closer to God. Praise strengthens our relationship with God. Praise sanctifies our lives at all times. It sanctifies us when we’re working, playing, singing, and praying. It sanctifies us when we’re sitting at the kitchen table or when we’re sitting by the hospital bed. Paul and Silas sang and prayed after being flogged, beaten, and put in prison. Jesus and His disciples sang a hymn before he went to the cross. Praise can be done on your own. But it’s better when you do so together!
Praise is unifying. There’s so much singing, praying, and praising in the Psalms. What a gift from God! What a gift to share with each other! Praise unifies. We know all about it. Prayers passed on to us. Bible passages copied and pasted. Words of encouragement by phone and by text. Psalms, songs, and spiritual songs shared with us. Praise from sea to sea! Praise to God!
Praise is magnifying. Praise gives glory to God. That’s why we do it. It’s that simple. We praise God during the ups, downs, rollercoasters, twists, turns, and experiences of life. It’s a wonder, and a shame, that we don’t do it more. That we don’t do it all the time.
Praise God all the time. Praise is necessary. Praise God from Praiseday to Praiseday. Praise sanctifies our lives, unifies our fellowship, and magnifies our God.
Today’s Updates:
Today it felt like Zach lost some progress again. Overnight and during the day Zach was very restless despite sedation attempts and many pain meds. The doctors want Zach to relax and decrease his heart rate so that his body can rest and heal. Zach finally settled in the evening with multiple medications running to keep him asleep. However, Zach required such high doses of sedation that he had to be put back on the ventilator. The ventilator is once again controlling his breathing through his trach, instead of Zach initiating his own breaths. Additionally, decreasing Zach’s heart rate resulted in Zach’s blood pressure dropping too low, so Zach is also on blood pressure support meds again.
We had a family meeting with the doctor to talk about Zach’s hospital stay and the plan for the future. The doctor said that Zach is on similar amounts of sedation and support as he was a couple weeks ago. The doctor’s concern is that Zach was taken off the ventilator and sedation too early, making Zach’s body work too hard, resulting in restlessness and a high heart rate. Zach is young and strong so he handled the initial progress well, but now Zach needs to be forced to rest again so that he can heal. The doctor said Zach may be sedated for the next couple of days.
Zach also spiked a fever again this afternoon. The team took some more samples and added a couple more general antibiotics to protect Zach from any infections on top of the ones he is dealing with already.
Overall, it has been a difficult week for Zach which resulted in him losing some progress. Today is another day to continue to pray and praise the Lord in the midst of storms. Praise our saving God for delivering Zach thus far!
“I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.” (Psalm 34:1-3)
Praise the Lord with the sound of trumpet,
Praise the Lord with the harp and lute,
Praise the Lord with the gentle sounding flute.
Praise the Lord in the field and forest,
Praise the Lord in the city square,
Praise the Lord anytime and anywhere.
Praise the Lord in the wind and sunshine,
Praise the Lord in the dark of night,
Praise the Lord in the rain or snow
Or in the morning light.
Praise the Lord in the deepest valley,
Praise the Lord on the highest hill,
Praise the Lord, never let your voice be still.
Praise the Lord with the crashing cymbal,
Praise the Lord with the pipe and string,
Praise the Lord with the joyful songs you sing.
Praise the Lord on a weekday morning,
Praise the Lord on a Sunday morn,
Praise the Lord by the light of sun or moon.
Praise the Lord in the time of sorrow,
Praise the Lord in the time of joy,
Praise the Lord every moment,
Nothing let your praise destroy.
Praise the Lord in the peace and quiet,
Praise the Lord in your work or play,
Praise the Lord everywhere in every way!
