Life Is Fragile. Pray!

I don't often add many words to my Bible Journaling, choosing instead to use images and just a few words to communicate my thoughts. Sometimes I add a written prayer, but rarely do I pour out my heart on my pages. Today's Bible Journaling post is the exception. This week caused me to pause, to seek God in ways I hadn't done in a while. As I did that, the words seemed to flow... so much so that I had to add a tip-in to my entry to make room for all of them.

That makes it even more difficult to share this Bible Journaling entry here on my blog. I hesitated. I questioned whether I should. It felt too personal.

In the end I decided to share it, but not without apprehension.

These words on the tip-in are genuine heart-felt, words of anguish, but not despair. God is Who He said He is. 

This week has been rough.

really. really. rough.

Last Saturday a man I’ve never met entered into his heavenly home. Pastor John Powell stopped to help at the scene of an accident, freeing people from a burning car. Seeing a semi heading right toward them, John heroically shoved another man to safety, even as he himself was unable to get out of the way.

I didn’t know John, but I know his wife. In fact, my husband baptized Katherine when she was a youngster. My heart has ached for Katherine this week, as well as for their four young children. I wept for them as I attended the funeral (virtually) and heard many awesome stories about John.

I viewed the video of the last sermon he preached – from Psalm 72. He spoke with compassion; eloquently and prophetically. He said a day was coming when he would stand before a holy God in judgment saying “Yes, Sir, I’m unclean and deserve justice…” but he also acknowledged that he’d already received justice on Golgotha, as Jesus traded His righteousness for John’s sins. And then, John said, he would hear God say, “Enter into your eternal home, my precious son.”

I drew strength from John’s words – “I pray that as you look into an uncertain future this Psalm calls you to a certain hope and a glorious King, and an eternal steadfast joy.”

Oh God, in these moments I pray that we may all look to the future with that kind of hope. In these moments when it feels like joy has evaporated, may we grasp ahold of the steadfast joy that can be found in Christ alone. Amen.

Stamps Used:

Stampabilities Life Is Fragile

and 

Technique Tuesday Calla Lily

Please join me in praying for Katherine and her children, not just today, but for the weeks and months to come as well.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!