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Death came suddenly to our circle today. A woman is a widow, a son is fatherless, a daughter is brokenhearted. Grief descends and lays a heaviness on our hearts. Never more clearly are we reminded of the words of the bible,
"yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." (James 4:14)
"You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath. Selah" (Psalm 39:5)
Barnes Notes says, "For what is your life? - All your plans must depend of course on the continuance of your life; but what a frail and uncertain thing is that! How transitory and evanescent as a basis on which to build any plans for the future! Who can calculate on the permanence of a vapor? Who can build any solid hopes on a mist?"
And so now we clamor of Christ, our solid hope! We are entreating for Him to listen to our pleas as we lift up the grieving ones. Lord, wipe their tears. Lord, heal their heart. Lord, show them grace and comfort.
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:" (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
Every matter under heaven. It is time for others to rejoice, to dance, to speak. It is our turn to grieve.
"yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." (James 4:14)
"You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath. Selah" (Psalm 39:5)
Barnes Notes says, "For what is your life? - All your plans must depend of course on the continuance of your life; but what a frail and uncertain thing is that! How transitory and evanescent as a basis on which to build any plans for the future! Who can calculate on the permanence of a vapor? Who can build any solid hopes on a mist?"
And so now we clamor of Christ, our solid hope! We are entreating for Him to listen to our pleas as we lift up the grieving ones. Lord, wipe their tears. Lord, heal their heart. Lord, show them grace and comfort.
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:" (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
Every matter under heaven. It is time for others to rejoice, to dance, to speak. It is our turn to grieve.
Comments
May it please our Father to grant comfort and rest to those in their loss. May He grant salvation to those who will hear His truth as a result of it.
ReplyDeleteI lost my husband almost two years ago. It was sudden and tragic but, I would be lying if I said that I would change it if I could. Reason being, although I love my husband, it was through the loss of him and the complete shaking of my world that I learned to lean on God. My faith became resolute, my desire to be with Him became a deep longing and my thankfulness for His grace became immeasurable. It was through this loss that I understood personally and full well what the famous poem "Footprints in the Sand" meant because, I lived it. God carried me through that situation completely and from that there's this awe of Him that I never knew before. What He says is true! He won't ever forsake us, He won't ever abandon us, His grace IS sufficient for us and joy does come in the morning! What makes this even more amazing is that before my husband died, I was doubting the very existence of God and then when tragedy struck I don't even remember calling out to Him, He was just there. I contemplated getting on anti-depressants for a time and He told me to just stay in His Word and to keep my eyes on Him and thats how I got through it. I focused on Jesus and that low point of my life became a bittersweet blessing. Death comes in this life but, we don't mourn as those who have no hope. We look to the promise that one day there will be no more sorrow and we'll be reunited with our loved ones. But, most importantly we'll be with our God who not only redeems us but, our God who holds us when we can't stand. What a sweet sweet Jesus we serve! I pray that this death brings this family closer to God, not further. I pray that they know that death is not a part of God's plan and that He mourns with us. I pray that although they may not feel it now that they're able to look back and realize this was a period of growing in their life. I pray that they're able to praise Him through the tears. (Thats another thing that helped me; praise and worship. Mercy Me has a great song called "Hurt and the Healer." Its words hit home for us Christians, its praise even when we don't understand.) I pray that this family becomes stronger and closer through this. Death is so very, very hard but, through losing my husband I fell out of love with this world and I long for the next. I want to see my Jesus who carried me through and never left my side. Praise God!
ReplyDeleteBlessings Elizabeth.
Thank you so much Amber for sharing your uplifting testimony. I am so sorry for your loss. What great hope we have in Jesus to KNOW that we will see our loved ones again :)
DeleteAmen, Amber! My mom died suddenly five years ago (when I was 37 and had a 5 month old and 3 year old) and your words mirror perfectly what I often think and feel as well. My friends don't understand why I so long for the rapture. I too longer love this world the way I did. I tell people I don't believe my mom and dad are in Heaven. I know for a FACT they are. I picture my mom setting the wedding table and Dad's inventing something to make it quite the shindig.
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