November 20, 2007

What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave?
-Psalm 89:48

Dear Friends,

This particular verse speaks to me strongly during autumn. Here the leaves are falling, and the greenery is slowly dying away. The harvest surplus is beginning to taper off, and the days are shortening. The cold of winter is approaching, and the coal furnaces have fired up. All around are images of nature dying away, or at least going to a slumber.

This autumn has been a tragic one for many of my loved ones, as they have watched friends and family members die. My former liaison teacher, Mrs. Sun, gave birth to a stillborn child at the end of the summer. One of my sorority sisters in the United States gave birth to her daughter, only to lose her father days later. My colleague in the Amity office, Ji Xiaodong, lost a beloved uncle at the beginning of October. Another Amity teacher in my province witnessed a student collapse in front of her. She attempted artificial respiration, but in vain. She and her husband have not only mourned privately, but they have also been present for their students, who have mourned the loss of their classmate with them. A few weeks ago, one of my teaching partners received the devastating news that her father had passed away; I’ve heard from another friend in the United States that her engagement has been broken off, and her grandfather is also dying.

I don’t pretend to think that the pain I feel for my friends can even come close to the pain they themselves are feeling. It’s obvious that while I may empathize, pray, cry, and try to offer support, this is still very personal pain for each of them. There is a limit to the comfort that I, a finite being, can offer.

However, I believe that there is no limit to what my LORD has to offer. During this painful autumn, I have prayed for comfort for my loved ones, and I have recalled God’s words, as spoken through the psalmist: “He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him” (Psalm 91:15, emphasis mine).

Whenever I have felt despairing at how little I am able to do for my loved ones who are mourning, I have been able to recall God’s promise to be with us in our troubles. Even our LORD, in becoming human, suffered death. I take comfort in knowing that God is able to comfort the pain in my heart for my friends, and He is able to comfort their pain as well. Our LORD walked through the doors of death for the love He had for us, and I firmly believe He waits at those doors to welcome all who would ask Him. He is the only one who can deliver us from the power of the grave.

As I watch winter settle in around me, as I hear heartrending news from loved ones around the world, I cling to the promise God gave me—that He will walk with me and all those in pain, that He will never abandon us.  For that, I will always give thanks.

As Thanksgiving approaches, I am reminded of the words from the Nicole Nordeman song, “Seasons”:

And everything in Time
And under Heaven, finally falls asleep.
Wrapped in blankets white
All creation shivers underneath.
And still I notice You when branches crack
And in my breath on frosted glass
Even now in death
You open doors for life to enter!
You are winter.

Even now, as I hear and see the pain of those around me, I can offer thanks, for God is still here, in the midst of this “winter” that so many of my loved ones are experiencing.

May you find ways to give thanks for God’s presence during the upcoming holiday season, and may you hold in your hearts those who are struggling with grief and loss during this time.

With thanksgiving in the midst of the valley,

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 244