This text was the first in a long thread to lighten my spirit. The thread began the day before when a couple in our church small group sent devastating news about the death of their grand-baby. Our small groups members rallied around them. We sent encouraging words, prayers, and heartfelt empathy—all delivered via text rather than in person.
Over the next few days, the grieving grandparents sent more texts with more bad news. We responded with more pandemic-style support, all of us wishing we could be with them instead of on our phones. One more desperate text arrived: "We are all exhausted. Please ask others to pray." And then the response from a mother in our small group who had lost a baby many years ago.
Photo credit: Eric Setter on Lightstock.com.
You rest while we pray.
Her words were the modern day equivalent of the story of Moses in Exodus 17: 8-13 when Joshua led men to battle against their enemies. Moses watched the battle, and as long as his arms were raised, the battle went well. When he tired and lowered his arms, the soldiers faltered. Finally, two friends of Moses stood on either side of him and supported his arms until the battle ended in victory.
Her words are also the pandemic equivalent of this story. We can't be in the waiting room with parents whose children are undergoing surgery or tests. We can't join them at the cancer center while their children undergo chemo treatment. We can't do a lot of things. But we can say what the mother in our small group said.
You rest while we pray.
We can intercede on behalf of parents too devastated by grief to pray. We can intercede when grandparents are too weary to pray. We can intercede for babies too young to pray. We can do all those things without being physically present because we are believers in whom the Holy Spirit dwells, and we are commanded to worship in spirit and truth.
We have been given power to minister to others at all times and wherever we are. Whether we can't be present with hurting people because of a pandemic or our own caregiving duties or distance or work commitments, we can be with them in spirit. Thanks to modern technology, we can support them with a few simple words that speak compassion and hope.
You rest while we pray.
Jolene Philo is the author of the Different Dream series for parents of kids with special needs. She speaks at parenting and special needs conferences around the country. She's also the creator and host of the Different Dream website. Sharing Love Abundantly With Special Needs Families: The 5 Love Languages® for Parents Raising Children with Disabilities, which she co-authored with Dr. Gary Chapman, was released in August of 2019 and is available at local bookstores, their bookstore website, and at Amazon.
