Yet I am always with you;
You hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel;
and afterward you will take me into glory:
Whom have I in Heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:23-26
I received a call from Wesley yesterday and I could tell by the tone, it was written with some fear and deep pain. It was a feeling I felt years ago sitting beside the hospital bed with my own mom crying out asking God for help. And so I felt led to stop what I was doing and head to the hospital to see my friend. Yesterday I witnessed something that in all my life, I will never ever forget! I saw angels take human form (in the image of two precious children). They (Ariel & Abigail) sang, danced, read Scripture and prayed. A true testament to God and such a powerful witness of God’s love in such a tangible way. I know this is one gift that Ms. Susan will never forget from her precious granddaughters.
Out of the three songs that Ariel & Abigail sung last night, Come Jesus Come by CeCe Winans really got me. I held it in to be present an in full attention but on the drive home leaving the hospital and as I sit writing these words, I can’t help but to cry. To hear a child speak so boldly and pray an intercessory prayer on behalf of her grandmother is just powerful. I thank God for allowing us (Wesley, Mahima, Abigail, Ariel, Kelly, Mrs. Rita, Faith, and myself) to stand in the gap requesting help from the Lord, healing, peace that surpasses all understanding, and comfort praying for a beloved mother, loving grandmother, dear friend, and church member, Ms. Susan Price.
You know that saying, “to know her is to love her?” Well this statement is true when you think about Ms. Susan. Her smile is so bright and contagious. Her love for Christ, her family, her dogs, her church family, and just people in general is contagious. Though she is seasoned well above my years, I consider Ms. Susan a friend. Many times when I would send texts and checking on folks, I wouldn’t get a response, but I could always count on Ms. Susan to check in. Even when she wasn’t feeling the greatest, she always let you know she cares. And so yesterday in the hospital when I saw that great big ole smile and heard the words, “Hi Mrs. Whitnee’ how are you? My heart melted!
Ms. Susan didn’t have the best appetite yesterday but mentioned that she loves banana milkshakes, strawberry ice cream, and pasta salad. We were all so eager to see what it is she could use to brighten her smile and when Ms. Susan said bring pictures of the church family and some pics of Dolly’s House I was over the moon!! The thing that was so special is she asked Faith to pray over her again, anointing her head with oil like she did when we went to fellowship with her at NHC, and she was very adamant on making sure we didn’t forget the frankincense and myrrh and gold (definitely don’t forget the gold she said lol)!
Ms. Susan missed being able to come to church so being the Body of Christ that we are, we brought the church to her! She loved the fellowship we had with Ms. Finch a while back and so when it was her turn to go through rehab, we were blessed to be able to sit with her. I never knew how many visitors one could have with all of the restrictions going on nowadays with the flu and all BUT the staff at LMC yesterday allowed us to praise, worship, fellowship, laugh, shed tears, and just be with Ms. Susan for as long as she allowed us to be there.
God calls us to stand in the gap for others, intercede for others, pray in Jesus name, like Pastor Thigpen, who spoke at Ascension Lutherans MLK service, “Let the church be the church.”
There is so much heartache, so much sickness, so much pain, so much sadness, so much anxiety, so much death. Looking back at Psalm 73:26, “this is a declaration of ultimate trust in God despite physical or emotional frailty. It emphasizes that while human strength is temporary, God provides eternal, unwavering support, serving as a constant source of spiritual strength and security.” And so as our hearts ache over our loved ones being sick, the hatred in the world, lack of peace in our communities, etc. we cling to God and seek fulfillment in His word and His promises.
My heart is not proud, Lord;
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.
Israel, put your hope in the Lord
both now and forevermore.
Psalm 131
With a heavy heart I must find contentment and seek God asking Him for the peace that surpasses all understanding. I saw that peace, I felt that contentment in Ms. Susan last night. I saw the contentment she had just as a weaned child with its mother.
To Ms. Susan, my friend. I love you! Thank you to your dedication to God, His church, His people, and to your family. Thank you for dedicating your time and support to Dolly’s House. Not only have you been the “boots on the ground” helping me sort clothes, hang clothes, and fold clothes but you have personally received and collected donations for me washing countless amount of items to make sure they were good quality for those in need. Even on the days that you didn’t feel your best you would come over when you could or either send my boys over to you and never missed the opportunity to give a helping hand. I want to thank you personally for caring and always giving a kind word and positive feedback on my cooking. To say my cooking reminded you of your mom’s cooking made me smile brightly; that means you tasted the love. I love you dear friend and I’m so happy our paths crossed. Get your rest, let’s get your pain under control, and before you know it you’ll be back sitting on your back porch waving at me as I head into Dolly’s House (Lord willing we will be walking in there together). I love you dearly!
To Wesley, Mahima, Abigail, and Ariel I say hold on to God’s unchanging hands. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He is sovereign. He makes no mistakes. He is our peace and our protector. He has the final say. Trust God, He will give you strength, He will help you, and He will comfort you. The Bible tells us in John 14:1-3, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s House has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
No man knows the day nor the hour BUT we know that day is coming FOR ALL OF US! This earth is not our home. Abigail said, “come Jesus come, let today we the day.” We don’t know when God is going to call our friend home BUT we do know we can continue to love, support, encourage, and cherish each moment. Wesley cherish it with a peaceful heart; do not let your heart be troubled. God will give you blessed assurance, that peace Kelly prayed for last night that surpasses all understanding, and He will strengthen your heart. Remember you are not alone- you’ve got family, friends, and a church family, your community behind you. I’ve been where you are and my heart goes out to you; please make sure you and resting and eating to be the best you can be under the circumstances.
Sometimes I fall to my knees and pray
Come, Jesus, come
Let today be the day
Sometimes I feel like I'm gonna break
But I'm holding on
To a hope that won't fade
Come, Jesus, come
We've been waiting so long
For the day You return
To heal every hurt and right every wrong
We need You right now
Come and turn this around
Deep down I know this world isn't home
Come, Jesus, come
There'll be no war
And there'll be no chains
(When Jesus comes)
Let today be the day
He'll come for the weak
And the strong just the same, oh-ooh
(And all will believe)
And all will believe in the power of His name
Come, Jesus, come (come, Jesus, come)
We've been waiting so long (yes, we have)
For the day You return (waiting on Your return)
To heal every hurt and right every wrong (oh, we're waiting on You, stop, achive it)
(Hallelu-) we need You right now (for we need You right now)
Come and turn this around (somebody need You, please come)
Deep down I know this world isn't home (I know Lord, You can do it, so we give it to You)
Come, Jesus, come (we've been waiting for long time, Jesus)
Come, Jesus, come (come on, Jesus, hallelu-)
One day He'll come
And we'll stand face to face
Come and lay it all down
'Cause it might be today
The time is right now
Oh, there's no need to wait
(Your past will be washed) ay, yeah-yeah
It will be washed by rivers of grace
Come, Jesus, come (come, Jesus, come)
Come on, Jesus (we've been waiting so long)
We've been waiting so long
For the day You return (You return)
To heal every hurt and right every wrong (somebody pick up, stay long)
(If you don't stay long)
We need You right now (we need You, yes, we need You)
Come and turn this around (Lord, we're asking, we're asking, in the name of Jesus)
Deep down I know this world isn't home (do it, do it, God, do it, do it, Lord)
(Do it, God, Lord Jesus) come, Jesus, come (do it, God, Lord Jesus, right now)
Come, Jesus, come (it already done), yeah (can you believe God?)
Come, Jesus, come (and it's that God, Jesus), Jesus
(Jesus, Jesus) yeah, yeah-yeah
Come, Jesus, come
It already done (yes, it is, yes, it is, yes, it is) (glory be to God)
Glory, glory, glory