I sat in dismay
staring at my cell phone's screen. A dear friend, Mary, had posted a message on
Facebook relating a family tragedy. Mary's
24 year old granddaughter had suffered a fatal heart attack while
enjoying dinner at a local restaurant with her husband. I was overwhelmed by
this news and devastated for my friends.
We had met them more
than thirty years ago when we served a church in Quebec, Canada. They served a
congregation in Vermont, USA. We had quickly become friends, sharing a common
faith and a firm commitment to God's kingdom. One Saturday visit together we
discussed Monday morning blues and Mary related how she dealt with them. Every
morning enroute to her job she would sing, "It a great day to be alive, a
great day to be a-singing. I've got joy in my soul, I want the whole world to
know, it's a great day to be alive."
As I re-read Mary's
message, I felt helpless. I wished there was something I could do. I wanted to
reach out to my friends with comfort. Then I thought of our church's prayer
line. Over many years of praying for individual and corporate needs, I have always
found the prayer support of like-minded friends to be a great source of
comfort. One call and my prayer requests are broadcast to a vast network of
prayer warriors who lift the need up to our Heavenly Father.
The grief cannot be
easily brushed off. The family will experience the pain and sorrow for a long
time. Yet, in Paradise this young Christian woman will be singing, "It's a
great day to be alive, a great day to be a-singing."
Dear Father, thank
you for answering our Lord's prayer and ours too. Grant that all our tragedies
and sorrows will be healed by the joy in our hearts. This I pray in the name of
Jesus. AMEN
Be strong and
courageous today through comforting prayer,
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