Sadness and loss
My heart is breaking right now for my friend Rey. Read his post from Wednesday to see why. My spirit has been heavy since I read that, and I've been praying for him and his family at every opportunity. I'm going through a structured Bible study right now, and today's lesson coincidentally (or maybe not) focused on coping with grief, pain, and fear. Though the grief I feel on his behalf is nothing compared to his own feelings right now, I found comfort in this passage in Luke 22:39–42 (ESV):
And [Jesus] came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. And when he came to the place, he said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.
I'm sure I've read that before, but it has never really sunk in that God sent an angel to strengthen Jesus. My NASB notes that the verse about the angel doesn't appear in some ancient manuscripts, but I find it powerful nevertheless. If God comforted Jesus with such divine intervention, maybe He does that for some of His adopted children as well. That is my prayer for my friend and his wife tonight.
