Normally, I can only vaguely sense the deep need that is on
someone else’s heart, but sometimes prayer allows the near-impossible to
happen. Through prayer, I can enter into
the need of another, allow my own heart to wrap itself around that need, and in
turn, bring that need before God with a felt empathy, imploring the grace of
His response. Never is that more true
than when a small group of women gather to pray aloud the written prayers of
others in our congregation – prayers that resonate with the memories of a loved
one who has died and the hope that death opens the door for that one to be
fully and eternally alive. On this side
of that door, death seems so very final.
As a body is “laid to rest,” so too are dreams and hopes, only to be
replaced with an anguished void. As our
small group of women prays, those temporal realities are felt and realized
anew, and the sorrow that still lingers for others becomes ours as well.
Coming home though after praying together, the words of a
song we sang as a choir a number of years ago in celebration of Christ’s
resurrection, seemed to burst through my melancholy. He is not here; He is risen! Death’s final call, He would not obey. Risen with power and with glory, He is alive
today! For the believer, Christ’s
“disobedience” to death’s final call, brought not only a demonstration of His
power over death for Himself, but also the security of a hope for every
believer, that because Christ lives, we will also live. Paul comforted the Thessalonians with the
reminder that, yes, as believers we will grieve because temporarily our dreams
and hopes are gone, but our grieving does not need to be a grief that embraces
finality. Peter tells us our hope comes
because of the factual reality of Christ’s resurrection. With the Corinthians, Paul goes so far to say
that apart from the resurrection, our faith is useless and we are still guilty
of our sins. And he says, “if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are
more to be pitied than anyone in the world.”
The words of promise though that Paul concludes with, are given to every
believer, “But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who
have died.”
There will be other times I enter into the heartfelt needs
of another, needs that have been imposed because of the side of the door we
stand on. There will be times when the
need is my own, just as it has been before.
And there are times, when the need will be yours. The truth is still ours and always will
be. He is not here; He is risen! My hope is secure!
– Bev
(Related Bible reading: 1 Corinthians 15:12-20)
