DJ lives in Washington. We are part of his prayer team. Now, none of have us have ever met him, but we believe one day we will. Until then, we pray. We intercede. We trust and believe as we stand in the gap for this precious little one.
He was born on January 9, of this year to young, first time parents. Excited and hopeful they had big aspirations for for him. The future held endless possibilities. The present held joy. How could it be otherwise? His arrival mirrored the arrival of babies all over the world.
But things turned dark rather quickly for this young family. DJ wasn’t like all the other babies in the nursery, and his parents weren’t like the other parents. See, while all the other parents left the hospital to begin their journey as a family, they had to stay. Their new journey would continue within the confines of the hospital walls.
The unimaginable had occurred. From the moment he breathed his first breath, he had to fight for his life. Everything suddenly changed. The enthusiastic, joyful energy was sucked from all of them and they were left fearful, broken, confused and raw. It isn’t supposed to be like this.
DJ was born with a heart defect. A very serious condition called hypoplastic right heart syndrome. HRHS is a range of right-sided congenital heart defects in which the right-sided structures are underdeveloped or not formed. DJ was in dangerous trouble. His life was on the line from day one.
There is a sense of hopelessness when you learn news like this. It is terrifying. And the inability to say or do anything to make it better adds to the despair. But we tried. And then, as a family, the church, we linked arms in desperation and we prayed.
We prayed for days, for weeks, for months. We prayed for miracles, for healing, for wisdom. But as baby after baby left the hospital, DJ stayed. The hospital was his home and became his parents second home.
Hope gets easily lost when it appears God is silent. Faith can grow cold when God isn’t responding the way we want. We can be left to wonder with anxious thought. But he’s still God. He is still on his throne reigning and ruling in all power and authority. And in his quietness and stillness, he is always working.
We’ve never stopped praying for this little guy. We can’t. But we have released him and entrusted him to Jesus. Not our will, but thine. Five of the most difficult words to utter.
There has been much victory throughout his life. His family will attest to that. The Lord’s fingerprints have been all over this journey. At barely 8 months he’s a living breathing testimony to the goodness and faithfulness of God. We are grateful for those stones of remembrance. We are grateful because we need them.
This morning DJ is going in for a lengthy surgery. It is a big deal. It is huge. It is life. We did what we could only do. We did what we needed to do. We did what He wants us to do. We joined together last night in desperate prayer. We fought for DJ in the most powerful way. We came as a family beating on the doors of heaven to hear our cries.
We prayed for DJ, his parents, family, doctors, nurses and all involved. We laid him down to the only one who can raise him up. We want a miracle. We want life. And we are fully trusting in God’s plan and purpose. But here’s the thing, he isn’t ours to hold onto. He belongs to the Lord. And we are keenly aware of this truth. And there lies the peace that surpasses all understanding.
So, this morning, as doctors and nurses are prepping for another day’s work, we trust. As DJ’s parents awake from a sleepless night, we have faith. As the world continues to move like it always has, we know. God is right in the midst of it all. His perfect will and purpose will be accomplished. It has all been ordered. And the power of heaven has been called down. And now, we wait.
Please pray with us.