Deuteronomy 7:9

"God, your God, is God indeed, a God you can depend upon." 

Deuteronomy 7:9 (The Message)

Tonight, my heart aches. A woman I have never met, but for whom I've been praying for daily, is about to experience the worst thing a mother can experience. Her young son is dying. This is incomprehensible to me. It's something that most of us mothers won't even allow ourselves to think about, but now, for this mother - it's a reality. No... it's a nightmare come true. 

I won't even pretend to try to understand this, let alone try to explain why children die. It doesn't make it any easier on the parents or family of the child to have people try to explain it. NOTHING can make the loss of your child okay. 

What I do know is this: God, OUR God, is God INDEED, a God we CAN depend upon. 

Does he answer our prayers the way we want them to be answered? Not always. But, does he give us the strength to get through whatever struggles come our way? You bet he does. We can always depend on HIM to carry us through even the most heart-wrenching of times. 

How I wish I could take this cup of suffering from this family. But, since I cannot, what I CAN do is to continue to lift them up in prayer. Will you please join me?

Psalm 40:1-3

"I waited and waited and waited for God. At last he looked; 

finally he listened. He lifted me out of the ditch, 

pulled me from deep mud. He stood me up on a solid rock 

to make sure I wouldn't slip. He taught me how to 

sing the latest God-song, a praise-song to our God. 

More and more people are seeing this: they enter the mystery, 

abandoning themselves to God." 

Psalm 40:1-3 (The Message)

If you've been reading this blog, you'll probably notice that I just recently did a blog post on this passage. But, the Lord brought me back to this passage today as I think of a friend who is soon to be going home to be with the Lord, leaving behind extended family, a dear husband and two darling little boys. As I read this passage tonight, the Lord placed a vision in my head of Him taking Sandy when it's time for her to go, standing her up on a solid rock in Heaven and teaching her a praise song to Him. I saw her surrounded by an army of angels all praising God together, with Sandy. And I am praying that more and more people abandon themselves to God because of her life and because of the peace her family has during this time.  

My dear friend, Sandy: May the Lord bless you and keep you. May he make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May he look upon you with favor and give you peace. In the mighty name of Jesus - Amen.