The Vapor of Life

 This morning I went to a funeral. Her name was Joy Brace and she was a 43 year old mom with four kids, the oldest of whom is a dear friend of mine. She was my Mom's roommate in college, and they are the same age. Mrs. Brace suffered from a brain tumor, and it all happened so fast- she was diagnosed just 4 months ago. She was such a wonderful example of peace in time of severe pain and heartache, and she definitely glorified God through her life and her death. There were about 700 people at her funeral, and the message of Salvation was very clearly preached-- by her husband, which was her last wish. Pray that the Holy Spirit will work on the hearts of those who heard the salvation message today, perhaps for the first time.

 PLEASE pray for that family, and all who knew and loved Mrs. Brace. When all of us left the funeral, we went back to normal life. But when they went home, reality struck. They went home to the new normal- life without their mom. Life goes on, even when they don't want it to;  they want life to stop, or at least pause long enough to let them grieve! Pray that we would be able to comfort them with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

A couple times this fall, Mrs. Brace had the opportunity to sing for different gatherings and such, and every time she would sing "Blessings". This morning they played a recording of her singing it, and yes, I cried. The song so aptly describes what we are all feeling, and is such a good reminder. Here are the lyrics:

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

Throughout her struggle with chemo, radiation, and all the emotional roller coaster that come along with this cancer, her motto was, "God IS good." Those were her last words on this earth. I praise the Lord that He IS GOOD! He has a plan for this hurting family. The problem is, they can't see it. Please pray for this family whose lives have been drastically, radically changed this week.

All of this made me think of James 4:14. "Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." We don't know what will happen tomorrow, next week, or next year. Are we prepared for glory? Do we have crowns to lay at the feet of our Lord? When we get to heaven, will He say, "well done, thou good and faithful servant"? Just some thoughts to meditate on. And thank you all for praying for this dear family.