As I was thinking yesterday about four-year-old Canon’s home-going and the loss his family feels, something came to mind from one of my most often read books, Amy Carmichael of Dohnavur by Frank Houghton. There is a section quoting Amy’s writing about the death of one of their little ones at Dohnavur and a passage from a letter of Samuel Rutherford’s to a grieving mother over 200 years before which was a comfort then to Amy:
You have lost a child. Nay, she is not lost to you who is found to Christ; she is not sent away but only sent before, like unto a star which going out of our sight doth not die and vanish, but shineth in another hemisphere: you see her not, yet she doth shine in another country.
If her glass was but a short hour, what she wanteth of time that hath she gotten in Eternity; and you have to rejoice that you have now some treasure laid up in heaven…Your daughter was a part of yourself, and you, being as it were cut and halved, will indeed be grieved; but you have to rejoice that when a part of you is on earth, a great part of you is glorified in heaven…There is less of you out of heaven that the child is there.
I also thought of Jesus’s prayer, “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24).
We rejoice that Canon is with Him where He is, beholding His glory, free from pain and any more surgeries. We could not wish him back. That was one thought that came to me often after my mom passed away, and I missed her sorely and so wanted to talk to her again and give her a hug…but though I could wish her here for my sake, I really couldn’t wish she were here when I have some small inkling of what she is experiencing there.
Yet we are “indeed grieved” by the loss of our loved ones’ presence and fellowship. I know Canon’s family will feel this intensely both now and for many days to come. A verse that someone shared with me that was a great help (I am including the preceding and following verses as well) was from Psalm 119: 75-77: “I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me. Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant. Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight.”
The ladies at Faith Builders asked if anyone would like to, to post a prayer for the family and link it back to a post there. I am not one to write out my prayers generally (even in Bible study books that tell me to…I’d rather just pray them), yet, during one of my mom’s serious illnesses when I asked many people to pray, many of them sent back prayers they had written out for her. I sent those to her, and it touched and ministered to her heart to know that people she didn’t even know would pray for her. So I pray that these specific prayers will be a comfort to Canon’s family.
“Dear Heavenly Father, I pray for Canon’s family during this time of grief. I pray that your merciful kindness would be for their comfort, that they would take refuge in You and know your everlasting arms underneath them, both now and in the days ahead. I pray that the funeral would honor and glorify you and bring comfort to those attending. I pray that you would help Canon’s mom with the many details she has to take care of. I pray that You would bring people across her path who would be able and willing to help both spiritually and practically. I pray for Canon’s siblings, that You would just help them especially during this time: help them not to be confused and hurt and disappointed, but draw them close to Thyself. Help them not to think that You didn’t answer prayer, but to realize that You did answer it, though in a different way. I pray that this would not be used by the evil one to cause bitterness in anyone’s heart that the outcome wasn’t different. I pray that if there are any who do not know You as Lord and Savior, that these events and the funeral would draw them to faith in You. I pray for Your continuing grace for everyone involved in the weeks and months ahead. Thank You for loving us and ministering to us. Thank You for Your grace. Thank You for preparing a place in heaven for Your children. Amen.”
1 Comment
October 23, 2006 at 10:29 pm
Amen.
Beautiful insights too. I love Amy Carmichael. In my sick, bedridden years she was a hero to me. I studied her writings and thought of her often.
Comments are closed.