Stirrings

Hear my cry, O God, attend to my prayer.

From the end of the earth I will cry unto You.

When my heart is overwhelmed,

Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.

Psalm 62:1

...and that Rock was Christ.

I Corinthians 10:4b

I am always in awe when God starts to move in my life, when he begins to stir things up and teach me something new. Initially it's hard to tell exactly what that new concept or lesson is but over time He makes it clear. He rarely throws something new at me, but rather gives me little bits and pieces, whetting my appetite for more.

As I have begun to look around and read other blogs, He has been teaching me about His grace and His provision in times of sorrow and tragedy. I have begun to pray for people, brothers and sisters in Christ, who I have never met. I have laughed with some and cried with others. I have felt just a tiny bit of their pain and rejoiced in their triumphs. I have been humbled by the strength afforded them by the Savior and encouraged by they way He is able to give comfort.

This week especially I have been astounded by the story of the accident involving several Taylor University students. Two young women in the accident were misidentified, one dead, the other hospitalized and in a coma. It wasn't until five weeks later, when the girl was coming out of the coma, that the mistake was discovered. One family sat at a bedside waiting for their daughter to wake up, only to discover that it wasn't their daughter at all. The other family held a funeral service, buried their daughter, and spent five weeks grieving her death to ultimately discover she was still living.

I cannot imagine the pain these families have experienced and are experiencing and yet their faith in Jesus shines through. Two families, who had never met, are now eternally bound together in an unimaginable turn of events. Where would the comfort, the courage, and the strength be if it weren't for our Savior? In the midst of the pain and sorrow of this and other tragedies, is an incredible chance to shine for Him as never before. Would I shine? Could I hold on? Only by the grace of God and the many, many prayers of His saints.