Three thousand miles away there is a family grieving--hurting--in pain. Two young boys struggle to make sense out of what, at first, seemed to be a simple fall that claimed their mother's life. A husband wonders how he will go on without his beloved wife. A mother plays the memories of times spent with her daughter over and over again in her mind and is numb inside realizing they will never share new memories or mother/daughter kisses again. A sister aches inside to think she will no longer be able to confide in or laugh with her sister.
Father,
Comfort the family members who grieve as well as all those who know and love Natasha. Let Your strength and power sustain them through the incredibly difficult days ahead. Let them feel Your love and Your presence....and let them also feel the love and prayers of those, both near and far, who seek to comfort them. Touch each one with the hope of heaven though their hearts are now so heavy.
As humans, we don't always know why things happen as they do, but we know that You love us and are able to bring us through even the most devastating of circumstances.
In the midst of their deep pain, please bring peace and comfort to all of her family members and friends...
...And may the memory of the love she had for each one always live inside of them and warm their hearts forever.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
As you're reading this, maybe you're going through a difficult time, too. Please know that God is able to work in any circumstance you face when you reach for Him. We don't always understand everything that happens, but God is able to help us through all the difficult and devastating times that come our way.
If you're hurting, call on Him now.
He loves you so very much.
"Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."
1 Pet. 5:7
"....I have loved you with an everlasting love..."
Jer. 31:3
**********************************************************************************
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Yet Will I Praise Him
"Yet will I praise Him," I thought as I walked north toward the mountains.
I suppose, to some, it would seem a strange thing to think as I walked to find a pay phone so I could call Triple A to come tow my car away. My car had died at an intersection and when I returned, a tire was also flat.
"Yet will I praise Him."
That was a summer I needed that verse a lot. I didn't have much money so car repairs were not really in my budget. My car was towed to a friend's house so her relative could work on it for me to try to keep the repairs costs to a minimum. While it was parked there, it was towed away and I had to pay a fine because she forgot to move it from a no parking zone during street cleaning while I was away on vacation.
"Yet will I praise Him."
A short time later the tags were stolen off of my car and I had to get new ones.
And it was also the summer I found out my mother had cancer.
"Yet will I praise Him."
God knew I would need that verse and He put it in my mind at the exact time I needed it. Life can be hard sometimes. We don't always understand why certain things happen.
Today there are concerns about money....jobs....the economy. People are divorced from spouses they once loved....friends hurt us at times....illness comes to those we know and care for deeply,.
But through it all, God is there. Comforting us. Loving us. Never losing sight of us though at times we may feel alone. The Bible says that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father interceding for us. Be encouraged--Jesus is praying for you.
Take heart. You are loved. Deeply and unconditionally.
And whether now is a time of little or plenty--of joy or of heartache--God is with you.
"Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls--
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer's feet.
And He will make me walk on my high hills."
Hab. 3:17-19
"Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God,
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God."
Ps. 42:11
***********************************************************************************
I suppose, to some, it would seem a strange thing to think as I walked to find a pay phone so I could call Triple A to come tow my car away. My car had died at an intersection and when I returned, a tire was also flat.
"Yet will I praise Him."
That was a summer I needed that verse a lot. I didn't have much money so car repairs were not really in my budget. My car was towed to a friend's house so her relative could work on it for me to try to keep the repairs costs to a minimum. While it was parked there, it was towed away and I had to pay a fine because she forgot to move it from a no parking zone during street cleaning while I was away on vacation.
"Yet will I praise Him."
A short time later the tags were stolen off of my car and I had to get new ones.
And it was also the summer I found out my mother had cancer.
"Yet will I praise Him."
God knew I would need that verse and He put it in my mind at the exact time I needed it. Life can be hard sometimes. We don't always understand why certain things happen.
Today there are concerns about money....jobs....the economy. People are divorced from spouses they once loved....friends hurt us at times....illness comes to those we know and care for deeply,.
But through it all, God is there. Comforting us. Loving us. Never losing sight of us though at times we may feel alone. The Bible says that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father interceding for us. Be encouraged--Jesus is praying for you.
Take heart. You are loved. Deeply and unconditionally.
And whether now is a time of little or plenty--of joy or of heartache--God is with you.
"Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls--
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer's feet.
And He will make me walk on my high hills."
Hab. 3:17-19
"Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God,
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God."
Ps. 42:11
***********************************************************************************
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)