Read Matthew 6:8-13. Circle the words that stand out to you. What is the Lord saying to you?
8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’”
Digging Deeper
Nearly each night, my wife and I closed our prayer time reciting the Lord’s Prayer. It has been a prayer that has comforted us, guided us, assured us, and reminded us of His great love for us.
This past week my family faced a medical crisis. When my son texted the “dreaded” word, my heart was in anguish and deeply sadden for his wife. I was in turmoil within, but I know their pain, anguish, and anxieties was far greater than mine. It brought back memories of helplessness when my wife had an embolic stroke nearly 22 years ago.
As a father and pastor, what do I say to my son, his wife and their children? Do I act if nothing was wrong? Do I fall apart? What should I say and should I say anything at all? I had restless nights and I wrestle with God over this matter. Have you had such experiences? Each of us will encounter them sometime in our lives with our loved ones.
I come to accept whatever the medical report and result will be. It’s not fatalistic. I believe God knows the beginning and end of each person’s life. And although I do not know the reason for this illness for my son’s family, I am comforted to know that God is lovingly caring for his family even as they walk through this dark valley. I know the Holy Spirit is with them and my Lord will walk before them. He may have to carry one or both of them at times in this valley, but He will be with them. They are in His loving arms all the time.
The past illnesses of my wife allows me to understand and to feel to some extent their pain and grief, their uncertainty of the future. Our life experiences are not wasted. God has something greater for them than what they can imagine at this time. It is only in hindsight that they may begin to understand what the Lord is unfolding to them in His purpose for them.
If you are in pain and grief, God has not ignored your pain and grief. It’s entrusting the unknown into His hands. It’s entrusting the loss that one may have experienced into His hands. Can you see the hand of God in your past trials or present trials? There is a new chapter in my son’s family life. It will be written by their faith and our supporting of them. What is God writing in your legacy?
Kingston