Broken Toe

So as some of you know, my toe is probably broken. Whatever it is, it looks horrible and feels as bad as it looks. So I've been praying for it. Not that it takes up all my prayer time/energy...afterall, my toe is nothing compared to the real problems in this world. But still, God sees the little sparrow fall so I know he cares about my little toe. So then I started thinking, how should I pray for my toe? Pray for immediate healing? Pray for a gradual healing that leaves no long term problems? Pray for patience both now and in the future if it continues to bother me every time I jump into the bush and start chasing squirrels? Something else entirely? How shall I pray?

Then I remembered hearing Paul Schuster - the guy I first learned "Cat and Dog Theology" from - pray back in the day in Calvary Baptist Church is Desbarats. He prayed for someone who had cancer, which is obviously more serious than my little toe. But his prayer is a great model for praying for any sort of sickness or pain, I think. I will paraphrase it, missing parts and adding some stuff, to show how I think perhaps I should be praying for my broken toe.

"God, thanks that you care about the little sparrow and about my little toe. I don't know why you are mindful of me, but I'm so thankful that you are. And thank you that my biggest physical hardship is just a little broken toe. I have all the water and food and shelter and friends I could ever need. I have no clue what it is like to live in the two-thirds world where I would daily experience worse than this. It's only by your sovereign grace that I got to be born in Canada and I bless you for that and thank you so much. But alas, right now my toe hurts and I can't play Monday Night Football or Wednesday Night Ultimate or Tennis or anything and I'm dissappointed. My chief concern though, is not my toe, but your glory, so I'll ask you this: Would you please do what is in the best interest of your glory in this situation? I would love for you to heal my toe today or tomorrow so that I can feel better and so that I can honour you for being so full of compassion and mercy. So if you will recieve the most glory from my toe being healed quickly and me getting to tell all my friends that you so clearly did a miracle, then please heal my toe asap. But, if you will recieve greater glory though me enduring a little discomfort and missing out on sports while still having a smile on my face because of the joy in my heart then I pray that you will ensure that I don't get the least bit bitter about a broken toe. If I can use this broken toe to show that you are my greatest treasure - not sports, not comfort - then so be it. Because Lord, you are more precious than gold or silver or sports (even Ultimate Frisbee!) and if you are glorified by me tangibly displaying that then I'm down with your plan. I desire to be like Habakkuk in Habakkuk 3:17-19 so I pray that you would work in me to cause me to be like that for as long as my toe is broken - and for the rest of my life."