Friday's Faith - God’s Love Letter to Me About My Child

Friday's Faith

God’s Love Letter to Me About My Child

“I so loved Merry Katherine

that I gave My one and only Son

so that when she believed in Him,

she would not perish,

but would have eternal life!

Remember, I did not send My Son

to condemn her because she was

condemned already before she

received Him into her heart.”

John 3:16-17

I called her. I am faithful and

I provided the ultimate sacrifice for her

so that through My Son’s sacrificial blood,

I sanctified her through and through

so that her whole spirit, soul and body would

ever be kept blameless before Me—

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

What she could not do for herself, I did for her.

I called her, I am faithful,

And I cleansed her through and through.

I did not appoint her to suffer wrath that night

but prepared her heart many years earlier

to receive salvation through her Lord Jesus Christ

so to win her fight.

Jesus died for her so that whether awake or asleep,

she would ever and always live together with Him.

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

Remember, I did not send My Son for the

purpose of condemning her because she was condemned

already before she believed on Him.

No, rather, I sent My Son to save her through Him.

She was saved, she is saved, and

Now she is safe with Me through all eternity!

John 3:16-18

Remember, Jesus told you clearly and it is recorded in My word:

The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy;

I have come that she may have life, and have it to the full.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down

his life for the sheep.

I am the good shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me__

she knew Me—so even though she died,

she lives always and forever with Me.

John 10:10-13

Now I want you to believe Me,

rest in Me,

and encourage others with My words to you

that they too can always trust in Me.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

******

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

the Father of compassion and

the God of all comfort

who comforts us in all our troubles,

so that we can comfort those in any trouble

with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over

into our lives, so also through Christ our

comfort overflows.

If we are distressed, it can be used for your

comfort and salvation;

if we are comforted, it can be used for

your comfort, which produces in

you patient endurance of the same

sufferings we suffer.

And our hope for you is firm, because we know

that just as you share in our sufferings,

so also you share in our comfort.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

12/26/07 – 12/27/07 At Destin Beach – Scripture, Adapted by Angie B. Prince

******

Lord, Help Us Not Lose Heart

Lord, help us not lose heart

Though outwardly we waste away,

Inwardly Your Spirit renews us

Day by day.

Help us Lord, turn from our ways

Which to Yours are so contrary—

Fix our eyes on the unseen that is eternal

Rather than the seen that is temporary.

Rose with Snow Picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos

Cloud Picture: http://bit.ly/1tYNVZ

12/26-27/2007 - Scripture (adapted) - Angie Bennett Prince

Poem – Lord, Help Us Not Lose Heart – Angie Bennett Prince – 05/04/08

Tuesday’s Trust - Patient Trust...Perfect Peace

Patient Trust…

Perfect Peace

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.

Tuesday’s Trust

When I was seven years old, my best friend Penny lost her three-year-old baby sister. Some of the family had gathered around, talking with neighbors who were visiting with them in their yard. Unbeknownst to anyone, three-year old Jan ran out into the street thinking she could go get the mail by herself. The mailman didn’t see her, so he accidentally ran over her...twice (with both wheels)…

The next door neighbor, a teenage friend of the family ran back to his house and called for an ambulance, but the emergency operator did not believe him as some local teens evidently had pulled pranks calling for an ambulance numerous times in the recent past… So the emergency operators refused to call an ambulance out to my friend’s house for her baby sister. The teenage boy had to drive my friend’s mother as she held her 3-year-old baby girl cradled in her arms as fast as he could to the hospital emergency room himself… It was too late; little Jan had died...in her mother’s arms.

My friend’s parents were faithful members of my church. I noticed they did not return to church for a long time after Jan’s death. Even as a young child, I recognized that they could not continue life-as-usual as I knew they must be overwhelmed by their deep grief. When her parents did return to church, I was very impressed with what they had to say.

They told us (the church family) that they were surviving their devastating loss by continually meditating on a verse God had given them. This is the verse I very vividly remember them sharing with us amidst their tears:

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.

Isaiah 26:3 KJV

I remember being very impressed that there was something, anything, that could give these parents peace at such a horrible time in their lives. I was also touched and amazed that God had made Himself known to them in such an intimate way, and that they were able to receive His comfort…

And now I know this same God.

Now I lean on this same verse.

And now I receive His same, very intimate comfort…

And even now, it is all still so amazing to me…

**********

And yet… losing a child is so unbearably painful, my heart is broken.

And today, I feel adrift.

Father, when I have no strength, thank You that You will have mercy and carry me, for I have no energy. And tonight, I wonder how did Mr. and Mrs. Parham do it? Their lives seemed so steady and faithful. And I seem so far at sea…

Adrift: floating without being either moored or steered

Trust: firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something

Though weary, depressed, and adrift, I put my trust in Your reliability, Your truth, Your ability, Your strength, and it will be You that gives me peace in spite of my terrible, woeful, exhausting circumstance. Thank You, Lord.

Thank You that I don’t have to trust in my reliability, my truth, my ability, or my strength, for in truth, it really is not there…

But thank You, that by faith, Your’s is.

Monday’s Mourning Ministry - By Your Side

Monday’s Mourning Ministry

Searching the Bible on Behalf of us Bereaved Parents

as we Grieve Our Great Loss…

By Your Side

– Tenth Avenue North

Why are you striving these days


Why are you trying to earn grace


Why are you crying


Let me lift up your face


Just don't turn away





Why are you looking for love


Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough


To where will you go child


Tell me where will you run


To where will you run



And I'll be by your side


Wherever you fall


In the dead of night


Whenever you call


And please don't fight


These hands that are holding you


My hands are holding you


Look at these hands and My side


They swallowed the grave on that night


When I drank the world's sin


So I could carry you in


And give you life

I want to give you life



(Chorus 2x)



Cause I, I love you


I want you to know


That I, I love you


I'll never let you go



(Chorus 2x)

***************

How do I survive? How do I face each day?

How do I go on knowing I’ll never see my baby girl again this side of Heaven?

The words of this song tell me why – He is by my side, and He’ll never let me go. He loved me enough… He loved my baby girl enough… to drink the world’s sin so He could carry me in…so He could carry her in…to Heaven that night.

She is safe; my baby girl is safe. My baby girl that I love with all my heart…is safe with Jesus, is safe in His arms. He holds her close to His heart; He carries His lamb. He took her to safety.

He was there that night, with her, with her when I couldn’t be… He grabbed her up in His arms…and took her to safety…

Safety forevermore…from the Enemy, the Enemy who was out to destroy her life… And he did; the Enemy did destroy her life that night…but not forever. The Son of God died so that couldn’t happen. He put Life inside her…that wouldn’t die…that would never die…but would live eternally…By His Side.

And that is why I can live…that is why I can go on…that is why I can have peace…in the midst of my pain…because I know…He Is By Her Side, and…He Is By My Side.

And we are both…Alive in Him. Her spirit is alive. Alive. Alive in Him.

She is safe. She is alive.

She is with Him. She is with me.

And we are both…

By His Side!

***************

11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart…

Isaiah 40:11

1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Hebrews 11:1 NIV

13It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken."With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, 14because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. 15All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause

thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.

For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

1 Corinthians 4:13-18

So I fix my eyes

…not on what is seen,

…but on what is unseen.

For what is seen

…is temporary,

but what is unseen

…is eternal!

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Part Two - How Can a Friend Come Alongside You in Grief?

How Can a Friend Come Alongside You in Grief?
Part Two

Part Two of my letter to Vicki about how to help us grieving parents in our grief:



Dearest Vicki, (continued)

…That is why I thank you so much, because

your tenderness is a rare “commodity” in this world, even in this Christian-world, believe-it-or-not!

I think many of our churches have dished out too much “prosperity gospel,” so that when someone IS completely flat on his/her back, the spoon-fed Christians get intimidated with the lack of “quick success” out from under the turmoil.

So they choose to get mad at us victims instead of reaching out to love us "in it"!

I think they want us to hurry up and get over our grief so THEY won’t have to feel bad. AND if we would hurry up and get over it, THEY could continue to tell themselves, “Yup, there’s Victory in Jesus; he really is an insurance policy for having-a-life-that-is-always-‘peachy-keen’!”





Hebrews 11* makes it clear that ALL those wonderful children of the faith, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, etc. (despite the fact that they were the devoted, faithful followers of God here on this earth)

1) "did not receive the things promised" this side of Heaven,


2) but "they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance . . .


3) (while) they were longing for a better country -- a heavenly one."





That "always-peachy-keen-life" expectation some have is downright cult-like thinking because our Lord warned many times that



1) We will suffer,


2) We will have trouble here, **


3) We are to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,


4) But like Him we can endure our cross (giving a slight clue, that yes it will be painful, very painful), while


5) We are to hold on to the joy that will come – some day. ***


(Sorry, thanks for letting me “preach-it-sister!”)




So, Vicki, please rest assured, you do not have any of those toxic features to your comfort:

1) You are not cold-hearted toward us nor our precious child,


2) You are not crass regarding our child who is very near and dear to our hearts,


3) And you are well aware that there's a lot in a grieving-mother's-world that you would have no way of understanding without going through it yourself (God forbid!).


4) That’s very healthy of you in my opinion, that you are well aware of your limitations in the situation,


5) YET you don't let those limitations intimidate you into silence;


6) You just love-us-where-we-are, pray for us, then reach out and lovingly touch us in our pain.



You have no idea how incredibly healing that touching-us-in-our-pain is.



It’s like we grieving parents are living in a lepers’ colony of sorts, and someone lovingly dares to enter our colony, look into our eyes, see our brokenness, yet reaches out and touches us anyway.



It is an unbelievable phenomenon that when a person lovingly risks touching my pain, as heavy as my load is, it feels like that person has reached out and helped me carry the pain awhile. It actually lifts my load awhile! It has that kind of impact.



So thank you again, sweet sister! Much love and thankfulness for you!


Angie


**John 16:33

33"I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."



*Hebrews 11:13-14, 16

13All these were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.

14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own….

16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.


***Hebrews 12:1-3

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

In Honor Of

Another Precious
"Twitter Friend"
who ministers to me

Victoria Thomas Gaines
Vicki's Blog: "Light for the Writer's Soul"
http://victoriagaines.com/

http://victoriagaines.com/
http://oloferla.deviantart.com/art/Her-sadness-50508172

http://www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/show_image.php?imageID=5685