Comfort and encouragement

Yesterday, in my chronological reading through the Bible, I came to Paul's letter to the Christians in Thessalonika. He'd spent such a short time with them after they came to faith, and now he's concerned about all the things he hadn't had time to tell them. So, a letter. And here's what he said in regard to their loved ones who were dying, some of them as martyrs: "For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bing back with Jesus all the Christians who have died. . . . For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all the Chrisians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever. So comfort and encourage each other with these words" (chapter 4:13-18).

So then I wondered about people who don't find these words comforting and encouraging. What if someone insists on healing or rescue, and a long life here for himself or his loved ones? And I realized that this is a call to check on our values and priorities. The promise of "remaining with the Lord forever" really is the most comforting and encouraging thought imaginable.

A few weeks ago I asked you to pray for S.R., a friend with multiple physical problems who is mostly confined to bed with her windows darkened. This morning she's seeing a new doctor, and would so much like to begin to find answers. Could we pray for her? Also, Chuck needs prayer because the swelling in his mouth from the oral surgery is causing quite a bit of pain. And for me, I guess the prayer request is that my blood counts (especially white cells and hemoglobin) will be high enough to proceed with treatment tomorrow. Thank you so much.

Love,
Carol