Tag Archives: comfort

Remembering Papa’s Faith

11 Monday Apr 2016

Posted by in death and dying

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Sometimes I think about the day my grandfather was told he had a terminal illness. Daddy had called to let me know Papa was being admitted directly from his doctor’s office to the hospital. I told Daddy I would meet them there.

When I got to Papa’s room, he was sitting on the side of the bed, still wearing his hat. He looked so tired and I encouraged him to lie down. He did without a word of protest, but with his shoes still on. I slipped them off his feet. My grandmother stood quietly by, grave concern etched on her face. Mama and Papa had been married 65 years—since they were 16 and 18.

We didn’t have to wait long for Papa’s physician. He came into the room, sat down in a chair near Papa’s bed and gave us a diagnosis we didn’t want to hear: acute leukemia. Papa’s physician said that without treatment he would live maybe two months. With treatment, he might live two years, but there would be no quality of life and he personally could not advise that route. If Papa wanted treatment, he would refer him to a specialist.

Without hesitation or questions, Papa said “I’ve lived a good long life and if it’s my time to go, I’m all right with that, I’m ready.” It was a clear statement of his faith; he had no fear in dying.

A picture made Papa was so sick. One of the few times he was out of bed.

A picture made when Papa was so sick. One of the rare times he was out of bed. Mama stands between their two oldest children, J. B. and Louise.

Papa left that hospital bed for one at home where his children and their spouses took care of him, never leaving Mama to do it alone. He lived shy of a year—nine months I believe it was, but longer than the two months predicted. His doctor said it was his strong body that gave him added time. Papa had been so healthy all his life; he had never seen a doctor for anything but the annual renewal of his barber’s license.

To remember Papa is to remember how tender his heart was toward God. I never heard him pray without crying. He just couldn’t get to the “amen” without emotion spilling over. Both my grandparents deeply loved the Lord. Jesus was as much a resident of their home as Papa and Mama. They trusted God implicitly and gave God all the thanks.

When Papa died, Mama wrote in her journal “Jim went home to be with Jesus today.”  Simply and accurately put. They never doubted where they would spend eternity. And to their credit and as best I know, none of us, children or grandchildren, has doubted either. Jim and Dulcie Spencer made sure of that.

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Jim and Dulcie Spencer, my cherished grandparents.

So, when I remember Papa, I remember first his love for the Lord and a faith that let him say, when it’s my time, I’m ready. I give thanks for this man’s life and the rich heritage he gave to me.

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.  –Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)

                                                                   

 

Mary & Elizabeth’s Added Blessing

19 Saturday Dec 2015

Posted by in Christmas story

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“. . . [Mary] you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age” (Luke 1:30-31, 36 NIV).

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In reading Luke 1, I always stay a while at the part of the story where Mary and Elizabeth spend time together. These were two women of impossibility, touched by God to play pivotal roles in the salvation story. I doubt even the most creative of minds could do justice to what each gained in the three months they spent together.

The Jewish people had long awaited their Messiah; probably no one ever considered He would come by virgin birth to an unknown. Then there was the case of a woman long past child-bearing years, but by God’s divine appointment also pregnant. Most likely each one was enduring ridicule: Mary with her suspicious pregnancy and Elizabeth carrying a child in a worn out body.

I believe God always gives us added blessing when we go through troublesome times and He didn’t miss the benefit Mary and Elizabeth would derive from human comfort and support. He gave them companionship for three months. He gave them added blessing.

Somehow, I suspect the journey to Judea of four to five days probably didn’t seem that long to Mary; her mind must have been so flooded with all Gabriel had told her that she hardly noticed the steps.  Upon reaching Elizabeth’s home, she heard Elizabeth say “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her would be accomplished” (Luke 1:45 NIV). That may well have given Mary the first relief she experienced after knowing her destiny. She was believed! She was affirmed without saying a word!  It was God’s added blessing.

Elizabeth was six months pregnant when Mary arrived so Mary was with her right up to time for John’s birth. Why would she stay so long? I believe to help this elderly woman through the hardest days of her pregnancy. I don’t think it assuming too much to consider that Elizabeth might have been confined to bed. Mary would likely have taken over cooking and cleaning and other household duties. And, with Zechariah unable to speak, Mary would have provided Elizabeth with conversation during her time of waiting.

In return, the young Mary would have gained great wisdom from Elizabeth. She would have passed on life advice and spiritual advice. Imagine the wealth of knowledge the wife of a priest would have! Mary would have gone back to Nazareth a stronger woman, better prepared to endure the unkind comments and stares of a suspect pregnancy, and one schooled in how to be a spiritual guide for the Lord in His youth.

For me, the three months shared by Mary and Elizabeth is a chief and often overlooked story of God’s amazing grace; how He never gives us anything to do that He doesn’t also give us the help in doing it–that thing called added blessing.

Giving Thanks

25 Wednesday Nov 2015

Posted by in thanksfulness

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FLOWERS_FROM_HEARNS__RICHAR

The Season of Thanksgiving prompts us to think of the many ways we have been blessed. It is a right time to step away from disappointments and anxieties that will always be a part of life and count our blessings instead. Here are some at the top of my list:

I am grateful

  • for having been born into a family that believed in God and saw food for the soul as important as food for the body.
  • for parents who sacrificed for our family without ever saying it was a sacrifice.
  • for being taught the discipline of working hard, even at things I would not choose to do but was necessary for gains I wanted.
  • for growing up in a small town where people watched after one another; sometimes seen as a nuisance when a child but realized as a blessing once grown.
  • for being born into a free nation with values many have never known.
  • for never having been without food or shelter or clean clothes.
  • for friends–some that I’ve had since early childhood–who have enriched my life and been around to walk beside me in hard times and laughed with me in the good times.
  • for my daughter and son-in-law who have a marriage made in heaven. There is no greater joy for a mother.
  • for my daughter’s salvation at the tender age 7 and her faith that has remained strong through every trial—and there have been many. That she never gives up, no matter what life hands her.
  • for my son-in-law’s ever-positive attitude and solid grounding in what marriage is supposed to look like through hard times as well good. He is strong and steadfast.
  • for my Vietnamese family who call me Mom and Grandmom and Sister; for how God brought us together and united us in spirit and in love.
  • for brothers, grandparents, and other extended family members, whose love I have never had to doubt; that each one is saved and will share eternity with me.
  • for the three ministries of this life I cherish most, and oddly, none of the three was expected or planned: working with the mentally challenged, working in a hospital as a problem solver between patients/families and their caregivers, tutoring second grade children. I have clearly seen Jeremiah 29:11 in action: For I know the plans I have for you . . .
  • for the three church denominations that have blessed and enabled my growth in the Lord at just the proper time: Baptist, Methodist, Assembly of God.
  • for health in this seventh decade of life.

Most of all, I am grateful for the faithfulness and unfailing love of God. I don’t know how He can love one like me, but I am thankful beyond expression that He does. To God be every glory and honor!

What blessings do you count most dear?

. . . always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.   –Ephesians 5:20 (NIV)                   

The Loaves & the Fish, the Storm-tossed Sea

14 Wednesday Oct 2015

Posted by in God's faithfulness

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Scriptures in Matthew 14:13-21 and Mark 6:30-44 tell the story of how Jesus fed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Only men were counted in that day, so we know significantly more than 5,000 people were fed. We can be sure that Jesus didn’t leave the women and children hungry. And after each person was filled, there was enough bread and fish left to fill twelve baskets.

Let’s think in the fullest sense of this miracle and not hurry over a story we have known since childhood. The truths of God need to settle into our minds and hearts and form a solid foundation of faith for the trials that come to all of us. There is less sting in our trials when we can immediately reflect on who God is and what He can do.

Scripture tells us after feeding of the thousands, Jesus immediately sent the disciples on ahead by boat while He went alone to a mountainside be in prayer. We know He was there for hours because scripture talks of “when evening came” (John 14:23 and Mark 6:47). Then we see another reference to time when it says Jesus went to the disciples “during the fourth watch of the night” (John 14:24 and Mark 6:48). The fourth watch of the night was between 3 and 6 a.m.

morgueFile IMG_6369a

The disciples were far out on the sea when it became storm-tossed. The Greek word used for measuring distance was stadia–an eighth of a mile or 660 feet. Some Bible translations say “many stadia” or “over a mile.”  My intention here is to have us see how physically far away Jesus was from the disciples when they found themselves in trouble  and how they probably thought Jesus was unaware of their plight. Surely, they must have felt alone and without hope—just as we sometimes feel today. Yet . . . Jesus knew! There is never a distance so great that we are separated from the Lord when we are His children.

These stories reveal to us quite a few things:

  • God has great compassion for every child of His.
  • There is nothing He cannot do.
  • We need quantities of time alone with God: to ponder what He has done for us, to give Him more than a nod of thank you, and to be strengthened for future trials.
  • Time alone with God should be a priority, as it was with Jesus.
  • We should not rush our alone time with God, but rather, linger as long as we can.
  • God is never skimpy with His love. When His answers come, we can count on added blessing.
  • No one is overlooked with God. He has no partiality with stations in life as man does.
  • We are not to waste what God has given. Our leftover fish and bread may be in sharing the struggles of our life and how God saw us through. Never fail to share how God provides.
  • We are never alone; He always knows where we are and will come to us at just the right time.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.  — Hebrews 13:8 (NIV)

Handling Nighttime Fear

14 Thursday May 2015

Posted by in nighttime fear

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Nighttime fear is a common plague with many. Everything seems worse in the dark. Darkness gives the sense that we are more alone than when the light of day gathers ‘round us. When others are sleeping and there is no one to talk to or distract us, our imagination can run wild. Personally, there is only one practice that delivers me from nighttime fear and that is prayer on my knees. I can lie in bed and pray, but it won’t be the same. There is a different solace altogether when I bow before God. When I am willing to leave the comfort of a warm bed, I am saying to Him I am serious about my need for His help. It is an act of humility, a demonstration that I know we are not equal and I am to be in submission to Him. And here is the good news: I cannot remember a single time when praying on my knees failed to bring peace. Mama and me 001I had a grandmother who taught me to pray on my knees. She never told me I should—just showed me. Praying on her knees beside her bed at night and praying on her knees for me when I was sick are deeply etched memories. She had no confusion about who God was or how to relate to Him. Jesus was her best friend. She talked to Him aloud throughout the day and as far as I could tell, never once doubted that He would take her through anything. Her faith was rock solid and uncomplicated. When her husband, my grandfather, died, she made this simple notation in a book: Jim went to be with Jesus today.  As I write this, I know there are some who can’t get on their knees for one very real reason or another. Not an act of defiance or laziness, but due to physical disability. Toward the end, my grandmother couldn’t do it either. But for all those years it was possible, she made it her practice. If you awake because worries are gnawing away at you, why not give praying on your knees a try? And if you are physically unable to bow before the King of Kings, spend a little time bringing yourself into a mental bowing before you begin to pray. I believe you will see the difference.

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for  he is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under his care. —Psalm 95:6-7 (NIV)

[Jesus] withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed. –Luke 22:41 (NIV)

My Word is LOVE

01 Thursday Jan 2015

Posted by in love

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It’s spreading like a sudden fire in a dry forest. A one word focus for the New Year rather than a list of resolutions most of us never keep. My word of focus came without thinking twice. The word is “love.”

I choose “love” because the ones I have admired most are those who have loved best. They have understood the way of God’s love, that it is unconditional and abundant. They embrace it and let it spill onto others. They embody a joy and ease with life that tells me they know the secret to contented, purposeful living.

People who love well have an aura about them that speaks good will. They seem to move effortlessly through life, content with the simpler things, unhampered by the world’s bounty.  I see them as vessels filled with God’s love, ever ready to spill out onto the lonely, the heartbroken, the guilt-ridden, the insecure, the anxious, the frightened, the grieving, the young and the old. They truly care about all God’s creations and caring seems for them as natural as breathing.

They don’t hide behind busyness or judge anyone as being unworthy. These people have learned the joy of being fixed on God’s love and not the world about them. They don’t love for recognition or reward, but for the simple pleasure of caring.

So in 2015 my word of focus is “love.” I want to love more and better. And the best way I know to do that is to pitch my tent around the Book of Love in new ways. Read scriptures as if for the first time and think about how to implement what I am reading as an action of God’s love. It is one thing to know about God’s love and yet another to live that love. I want to do a lot more of the latter.

And we know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. –1 John 4:16 (NKJV)

Who I Really Am

14 Monday Jul 2014

Posted by in God's love for us

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Ravi Zacharias says there are three of each of us: There is who the world thinks we are, who we think we are, and who Gods knows us to be.  I am so grateful for that last one—who God knows me to be.

One of the quickest ways for me to fall flat on my face is to state with all boldness and certainty I will never do a particular thing.  That thing might by to repeat a past mistake, it may be some way I’ve seen another fail, or it may be some wrong behavior I know can happen but cannot imagine myself ever doing.

As my life has unfolded, I’ve worked to keep my mouth tightly closed about the nevers of life, for I identify with Paul in Romans 7:18-19: For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 

Throughout life, I have by nature been a survivor. I’ve worked hard and long hours to get whatever needed to be done, done. As an adult in my 40’s, I had to put my survivor skills into action and through that time, I came to believe I could do just about anything if I had to do it, and if there was enough fire burning inside me to get it done. I also learned that I was a perfectionist and it took a while to recognize that wasn’t a good thing but a very unhealthy way to go about life. However, it was the discipline of that trait that helped me move from survivor to one who accomplished well.

But none of that matters when it comes to living in the Lord’s strength. I can determine whatever I want to determine but if the Lord is not the one who guides and supplies, all will crumble about me. I hear Paul’s struggle with right and wrong and identify with his frustration and self-disappointment.

I have learned to do this: When someone else judges me, I ask myself who I am judging. When I hear about someone else’s mistake that I think I could never do, I say there but for the grace of God go I. When I do a wrong—or repeat one—I thank God that He knows me in a way that I do not even know myself and that is the me He loves.

In the Presence of Jehovah

15 Friday Nov 2013

Posted by in music in healing

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The song, In the Presence of Jehovah, was written by Damaris Carbaugh (lyrics) and Becky and Geron David (music). When I hear it, I feel as if I am being escorted into the very throne room of God; it touches something inside me in a supernatural way. The words express the simple truth, that we can find healing for whatever our need when we get alone with God.

I went through a very tough time some years back. One of the ways God restored health to my body and joy to my soul was through this song. A very dear friend and pastor’s wife sang it to me on a Sunday afternoon, touching directly the anguish I was feeling and from that moment on it became my anthem. I found an old tape by our church choir with “In the Presence of Jehovah” and played it over and over as I took long walks. It was like a release to pent-up anxiety and pain. One of our church soloists sang it with what seemed to me more frequency in a shorter period of time than usual. And I sang it to myself, letting the melody and words take the edge off the sharp, piercing pain I was experiencing. My entire being was calmed and soothed by this music with a solid truth.

Because God fashioned us, He knows what will minister to our particular need. Without question, He gave this song to the writers that it might tell of Him and His grace. God laid it on Susan’s heart to sing so that His love could flow through her to me. He gave it again through Dianne’s sweet angel voice. Even the supplying of recorded music by our church choir before it was “my” church choir was by God’s hand. Over and over He drew me into a sacred space with Him and tended to my brokenness. It was (and is) like feeling the embrace of the Almighty.

In the presence of Jehovah,

God Almighty,

Prince of Peace.

Troubles vanish,

hearts are mended,

in the presence of the King.

This is just the chorus. Follow this link http://youtu.be/ZgQX4lDzpWg to hear the very meaningful verses and the beauty of the music.

Raised from the Dead

18 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by in healing, raised from dead

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Daughter of Jairus (Matthew 9:18, 23-25; Mark 5:22-24, 35-43; Luke 8:40-56)

“Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with Him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying” (Luke 8:4-42 NIV).  The story is reported by three writers, but only Luke tells us the ruler’s child was his only daughter and was about 12. Because he was a physician, he would have investigated every story for details others might not have considered important. Maybe they weren’t, but they were interesting.

When Jesus gets to the ruler’s house, He finds the grieving has begun. Funeral music is playing via piped instruments and the crowd of people in and around the house is noisy. The custom of that day was to grieve the dead by loud, woeful cries, continuing until they could emit no more than a sob. This would have been the noise of the crowd.

Jesus tells the crowd that the child is not dead, only sleeping. They laugh at Him and He sends them away, allowing only the little girl’s parents and three disciples, Peter, James, and John, to go with Him to where the child’s body lay. How did He come to just these five? Perhaps He was surrounding Himself with only those of strongest expectation. Certainly the parents were desperate for their child’s restoration and Jesus had compassion for them. The disciples chosen were the three Jesus was closest to, and He needed them to see His power, for soon they would be sent forth to heal in His name.

Scripture says Jesus took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up” (Luke 8:54)! Dr. J. Vernon McGee, preacher, teacher, and author, said those words could be translated “Little lamb, wake up.” (See Thru the Bible, notes on Luke 8:54, page 284.) That sounds like the way Jesus would speak to a child, doesn’t it? Full of love and compassion for a little one. Verse 55 says “Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up.”

The royal official’s son in Capernaum (John 4:46-53), the son of a widow in Nain (Luke 7:11-17), Lazarus (John 11:1-6, 11-44)

There were three other reports given us of Jesus raising the dead to life. Of all, Lazarus is probably the most familiar and the most spectacular because he had been in the grave for four days (John 11:17). This would mean a decaying body with a horrific stench.  It must have been a frightening thing for the family, even knowing of Jesus’ past miracles, to think of what would be revealed when the grave was opened. But Jesus was God! Four days in the grave to Him was no more than a child’s scraped knee. So after thanking God the Father for hearing Him, Jesus commands Lazarus to come out. And Lazarus, dead and buried for four days, walks out of the grave and goes home. (See vv 41-44).

Would these four restorations from death be the only ones that happened? I doubt it. I suspect these are only representative of many.  We know Jesus healed many more than were reported for Luke 4:40 says “At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them.”  And Mark 1:34 says “and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons . . .” In final support that we know only a little of His miracles, John said this in his gospel (21:25): “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”

We will not know all the miracles our Lord did until we reach heaven. And as the gospel song goes, “Won’t it be wonderful there?”

All scriptures are from New International Version (NIV).

Clothed in Salvation and Righteousness (Repost)

20 Friday Jul 2012

Posted by in adoration, comfort, faith

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Of everything I’ve written on Prayerful Pondering, this post has received the most attention.  First published in March of 2011, I am pulling it to the top of the list as a repost, and praying it will continue to bless.

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Imagine it. Standing before God, clothed not in all that would condemn us, but in salvation and righteousness. Not in the filthy rags of our sins, but in salvation and righteousness. Not in the paper garment of pride and self-interest, but in salvation and righteousness. Not in the clung to-coverings of resentment, frustration, and anger, but in salvation and righteousness. Not in the way the world sees us, but in His salvation and righteousness!

Isaiah 61:10 says “I delight greatly in the LORD, my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

That leaves me in complete awe. It leaves me without words adequate to express my gratitude. It causes me to fall on knees of thankfulness and weep before the King of Kings, to praise the One who does that for me – the lowliest of the low.

Jesus, He who is clothed in a royal robe of love and sacrifice, compassion and forgiveness, kindness and humility, gentleness and patience – it is He who holds out His arms to me. It is He who gave me the garment of salvation and arrayed me with righteousness when I said yes to Him. This One who alone is Holy has exchanged my unclean earthly garment, foul and unsightly beyond description, and adorned me as His bride, worthy to come to Him and live with Him eternally.

Philippians 3:20-21 says “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.” It is the miracle of God’s love.