Isaiah 18-22

Isaiah made many prophesies about the nations in his part of the world.  Most interesting to me was his prophesy of a highway between Egypt and Assyria…his prophesy that those nations will one day bow down the Lord…and that the Lord had a special word for each people:

²³ In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. ²⁴ In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. ²⁵ The LORD Almighty will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.”

It’s clear from that passage in Isaiah 19 that the Lord loves all…the people of Egypt are HIS people…those of Assyria are HIS handiwork…and those of Israel are HIS inheritance.  He is the creator of us all, and one day there will be peace and blessings in that most contested region in the Middle East.

I have had a ray of peace in my own “Middle East” conflict with my health.  After I wrote the blog yesterday, I did a little more digging about other conditions that might cause a person’s IgM numbers to be elevated and found something surprising that could be the key to all that has been going on with me.  Several recent studies have uncovered a strong link between women who have endometriosis and elevated IgM levels.  In one study, all of the women who had endometriosis as confirmed via surgery also had elevated IgM levels.  The researchers believe that endometriosis is therefore an autoimmune disorder.  The body detects stray pieces of tissue and attack it.  That actually makes sense.  I will add it to the list of questions I have for the doctor, and in the meantime, I am relieved to have found another possible answer, other than cancer, to the question: what is causing my body to produce an elevated level of IgM?

Thank you, Lord!

To close tonight I want to reprint a prayer of St. Basil that we read together each day during the Circe Institute conference I attended over the past several days.  I have been uplifted and encouraged by all that I have learned — although I feel like my brain can’t possibly absorb even one more fact!  It will take some time to adjust my way of thinking about teaching so that our goal is this: to produce wisdom and virtue in our child and in myself.   Here is the prayer for the beginning of the day, from Saint Basil the Great:

O Lord, grand me to greet the coming day in peace. Help me in all things to rely upon your holy will.  In every hour of the day reveal your will to me. Bless my dealings with all who surround me.

Teach me to treat all that comes to me throughout the day with peace of soul and with firm conviction that Your will governs all. In all my deeds and words, guide my thoughts and feelings. In unforeseen events, let me not forget that all are sent by You.

Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others. Give me strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day with all that it shall bring.  Direct my will, teach me to pray, and You, Yourself, pray in me.

Amen.