Prayer for Steven

Please pray for my brother, Steve. Last year he suffered through a bout with meningitis & ended up going back in the hospital with complication from an infiltrated IV site. He then had several months of severe headaches from a post-meningitis syndrome before finally being diagnosed & treated appropriately. Last week he began having pain in his right upper back & arm which rapidly became excruciating. He was diagnosed with shingles on Thursday of this week.

I just feel so badly for him. It doesn't seem right, his having to go through so much suffering in such a short time. He is the father of four kids, including a teenager and three kids below the age of four. He is the sole provider in his family so they really struggle when he's unable to work. Plus it has been pretty agonizing for him because the kids don't understand how painful this process is so they jump either on him or on the cough next to him. This obviously triggers terrible pain (like ripping off of one long scab from a partially healed wound as it sears up the nerve) each time.

I know he is pretty depressed about going through this struggle once again. Please keep both he & his family, especially his wife, Michele, in your thoughts & prayers. Pray for my mom, as well, because she can't help feeling helpless & sad when she knows her youngest is struggling in this way. My prayer is the Father will be near them both, & wrap His arms of love around about Steven to comfort him & help him know how loved he is. As scripture says, "Whom the Father loves, He chastens." Steven is certainly well-loved from this perspective!