What is God trying to say to you? What is it he is preparing you for? Before we look deeper at those questions. Let me say I prepare my sermon list, a year in advance. Two and a half years ago, I preached a message entitled “Giving Thanks in the Valley of Darkness”. Little did I know, a few days later my brother would die in a car accident. On Sunday February 11th of this year, I continued my series on the Beatitudes. My sermon was on those who mourn. While I focused initially on grief, which comes from the loss of a loved one to death. My main focus was on grieving for the things which breaks God’s heart such as starving, exploited children etc. There was a family in the congregation who had just lost a sister to cancer. I though the message was for them and hoped it brought them some comfort and peace.
Little did I know the message was also for me; the following Thursday, February 15, 2018. I was to receive a call from my dad asking me to come back to Fort Scott. Dad told me mom, was at the hospital. Her body was riddled with cancer and the initial diagnosis was mom had two months to live. Once I got to Fort Scott the diagnosis went down to two weeks.
We took mom home and began the process of her transitioning from this life into the arms of Jesus. Caring for my mother in her last days was one of the greatest pleasures I have ever had. It was also one of the hardest things I have ever done. One things my mom ask me to do was to lay on her bed with her and hold her the way she did me when I came home from my first deployment. As I held her and we shared stories and laughed it was one of the greatest pleasures of my life. One I would not trade for the world.
As my mom lived out her faith in her final days there were a number of things which brought strength, comfort and peace to both of us. In those early days we held hands, had devotions and prayed together. As her strength began to wane, I sang songs of faith over her such as “And Can It Be”, “Hold Me Jesus” and “Give Me Jesus”. Whenever I got to the last line of “Give me Jesus” which deals with when we come to die, all we want is Jesus. Mom would smile and say yes, yes.
My mother went to be with the Lord last Friday, February 23rd. She went peacefully. Through her short battle and her passing, I know what Jesus was saying in Matthew 5:4 when he said, “Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted”. (NIV). Through songs of faith, Scripture, support from family and friends I know the comfort of God.
So the next time you hear that song of the faith and think it is beautiful but it must be for someone else. Ask yourself what God is trying to say to you? What is He preparing you for? When you hear that message and think great job pastor, but the whole time you are looking around trying to figure out who it is the message is for. Stop and ask yourself, “Lord what are you trying to say to me? What are you preparing me for?” Food for thought. Pastor Travis out.
