Psalm 72:18
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.
Homily:
When I read the above passage, I recalled some tweets recently shared by Editi Effiong, who is currently going through deep pain of loss.
“My dearest friend walked with me to get married. I
walked with him a few years later. We worked and
grew together. 18 years.
On Friday he comforted us. On Saturday, he lost his
wife and children. Everything that meant anything.
Please keep the ones you love in prayers.
This morning, another dear friend loses her baby to
the same illness that took our Bibi.
And I prayed so much for that baby. I prayed so
hard.
I prayed so much.
I once thought we needed to be good, to be kind, to
love our neighbours, in hope for redemption, some
grace and kind safe keeping.
I have little faith left in these things today, and the
creator, our father in heaven, has not made it easy
to trust in him any longer.
My dear friend always prayed “Those who trust in
the Lord shall not be ashamed”. For 18 years, I
heard him pray this prayer.
He trusted the Lord on his day of adversity, but is
sat today, shamed beyond belief, broken beyond
recognition.
Please do not preach to me. I trusted God without
question, even on the day I put my child in the
ground. I never asked questions.
If God needs to wreck a man just to prove a point,
that’s plain wickedness and I am not here for that.”
I pray that God heals him and those he cares about, Amen.