As I write this post, my thoughts go to two different families facing a hard day today – one facing a surgery to remove cancer, the other facing the memorial for their loved one. It’s a strange providence to sit here knowing a little bit about what each couple faces and not being the ones enduring it.
To both couples, may I offer a verse that can help? David says in Psalm 27:14, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” In this time as you wait – waiting for the outcome of the surgery and the coming days and weeks of waiting to see how the cancer responds…waiting to remember with others the life of your loved one – take courage in the Lord as your only refuge.
To my brother in Christ waiting to hear that his bride is out of surgery and hoping for a good prognosis from the doctors, know your God loves your bride way more than you do. He loves her and will care for her in ways you possibly cannot. So when the time comes to see your bride again, to hold her hand and kiss her forehead as she lies in the recovery room, give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and steadfast love toward you. Then, in the coming weeks and months, be patient with her, tend to her needs, love her as the bride of your youth, and draw your strength from the Lord to encourage her in the hard moments that will come. Wait for the Lord – actively caring for her and actively pursuing your trust in Him to care for her and you.
To my dear ones waiting to memorialize their loved one. This is the 2nd hardest day of your lives. Your hope will only be found in the Lord. Wait for the Lord in courage that He can see you through even every single moment you slug out in grief. No, we won’t get our loved ones back, but find the courage to trust the Lord in these hard days. Turn to Him in trust and cry out in your anguish. Hope in Him alone. He is truly the only refuge that will not disappoint.
This grief you all bear does not need to be in vain. This grief you bear need not be wasted. Circumstances, hard providences may not change…grief comes to us all who live under the sun. But what Paul says is true, that, “this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Cor 4:17-18) Cling to the eternal God and His ways. Find hope in Him in your waiting. And His children will one day see that these griefs we bear are light and momentary in light of eternity.
Know my family and I are praying for you all as ones who know these hard moments and fears to come. Wait for the Lord.
I’m so sorry for you both. These are hard providences given to you to steward. But, God is gracious and kind and does not leave us alone if our trust is in Him. Keep pressing on in the midst of these trying circumstances and find your hope in Christ. Wait for Him, He will always be near to His people who are brokenhearted…
Till we are home…
Till We Are Home 
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