Two people I had listed on the prayer list for this blog died this past week. That is not surprising because I put on that list those who are the nearest to God, and sometimes they leave this earth even though their loved ones would like them to stay.Let me tell a little about the two who died. They were quite different. One was a mother of ten, who had spent a number of decades in this world and contributed in many ways, not the least of which was her cancer diary. Her name was Cyndi. The second was a little boy, whose coming was awaited with much anticipation and trepidation for it was already known before his birth that his heart was too slow for this world. His name was Matthew.
A mother of ten children, Cyndi, called her blog, "Faithful Promises." She died with an attitude of gratitude, as they say. Would that we all have such an outlook on life when it shows its worst side! On her blog site, Cyndi wrote, "Although at the moment cancer is taking quite a bit of my time and energy, it is not how I define my life. I truly believe that this is a trial to be faced for gain. God can and will use my illness to His glory. Already He has shown His faithfulness in meeting our needs. I believe that He will continue to do so in a mighty way. I am His vessel. And that, not cancer, is who I am." Quite an example for all of us, don't you think? And certainly a wonderful role model for those ten children she called her own. Please keep this family in your prayers.
Matthew's story makes me think of Dale Evans Rogers' book, Angel Unaware. (If you have not read it, I suggest you do so. It is short, and you will not regret the time.) While his life was much briefer than the little girl, Robin, who was born to Dale Evans and Roy Rogers, little Matthew seems to have made a big impression on those around him. Before his birth, Matthew was found to have a slow heart. After birth, Matthew lived only four days and then followed three siblings who had left this world a few years before his arrival. The faith of this family is truly amazing. Please keep them in your prayers.
Praying for someone who is dying is one of the hardest prayers to make, I have found. For what does one pray? That the person will live? What if the living is worse than the dying? And how does one know which is better? That God's will be done? That is not what we really want, is it? We want God to intervene, fix things, heal the person, and return our pre-illness world to us.
As with anything else, we do not and cannot see the really big picture. We cannot know why God intervenes with miracles in some lives and not in others. I guess it just goes back to having total trust. So, I pray the only thing that I can think to pray. I pray that God treat those I am praying for as His special people, as I know they are, and take care of them in the ways that He knows to be best because God's best is far better than anything we can imagine. And then I wait in confidence for God to answer that prayer.
(P.S. Click here for the story behind the praying hands, along with the story of another person who is in need of prayer.)
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