|
|
|
October 20, 2009
He Carries Me
Finding Comfort in Jesus |
|
|
Greetings!
This past Saturday our dear friend, Paul Giesbrecht, died in a tragic accident. Paul was a great friend, a co-laborer of the Lord, a brother in Christ and a warrior in God's Kingdom. He was a loving husband, father and leader. Paul's life was a gift to this earth and he will be severely missed and joyously celebrated. Please keep Paul's wife, Sheryl, and their children, Sarah and Ben in prayer as well as his family and friends.
I was out-of-town when I received a message asking for prayer. The message stated Paul had been in an accident and was being air-lifted to Antelope Valley Hospital. Kim and I prayed and attended Zach's football game in Modesto. Little did I know that in less than one hour Paul would be in Heaven. When I finally received the news I was in total shock! All of the questions we ask flooded my mind ... Why? How? When? Why? And then my thoughts turned to Sheryl, Miriam (Paul's mom) and Paul's children and family.
Words cannot express the grief that the human heart feels at the loss of a loved one. Things are only compounded when we believe it is before someone's time or their death is unexpected. Such was the case for Paul. He was young, healthy and had much to give, share and live. So, what can we say? What can we do?
It is times like these that we do what we have trained to do. It is times like these that we do what we are called to do. We cry out to God and trust His grace, stand in faith and live in hope. As followers of Jesus, we realize that Paul has not died but he has left this world and this life and entered into the next and eternal phase of his journey. He awaits us. It is we who grieve. It is our hearts that break and are crushed for the family. It is our role to cry to the God of comfort and ask for Him to do only what He can do and that is to comfort and console ... to bring beauty for ashes and joy for mourning!
|
|
Upheld by the Lord
1 In You, O LORD, I put my trust; Let me never be put to shame. 2 Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; Incline Your ear to me, and save me. 3 Be my strong refuge, To which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, For You are my rock and my fortress. 4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. 5 For You are my hope, O Lord GOD, You are my trust from my youth. 6 By You I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother's womb. My praise shall be continually of You.
~ Psalm 71:1-6 ~ |
|
|
He Carries the Brokenhearted
Kim and I were talking and praying for Sheryl and the family this morning and she said something very profound. We were discussing the levels of grief and anguish that people must face at such a devastating loss and Kim simply said, "the Lord would have to carry me through".
Friend, that is a great job description for God ... He carries you through. God is the God that carries us when we can no longer go forth. It is His strength that takes the mother that lost her child through the fire of guilt and pain. It is His courage that carries the cancer patient. It is His passion that carries the missionary. It is His compassion that carries ministers to death's bedside. It is His comfort that will carry each of us, Sheryl and the family at the loss of Paul. God is the God that carries His children when they feel they cannot go on!
Please pray for the God that carries to come and comfort Sheryl, the family and all those that mourn. We are many.
I am thankful that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. The psalmist's cry from Psalm 71 rings true today, "O Lord God, You are my trust from my youth. By You I have been upheld from birth..." He is the God that carries and may He carry the Giesbrechts and each that mourn through to our eternal reunion with our friend and brother Paul.
Lastly, live each moment of life as the gift it is. We are not promised anything. Walk in love, seek peace and enjoy what God has placed in front of you.
For more information about how to bless the Giesbrecht Family go to www.kaxl.com
|
|
For King and Kingdom,
Randy Martin |
|
|
|
|
|
|
