Defender

Deuteronomy 10:18

He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.

Deuteronomy 14:28

At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

Psalm 68:5&6a

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.  God sets the lonely in families.

Widow…a word that I did not expect to use to describe me.  A word that I still do not like and have a hard time saying.  But, a word that according to the Bible, our loving Father holds close to His heart.

It is quite obvious by reading God’s Word that He has a soft spot for the weak and helpless.  He states in the Psalms that we are just dust…and in the New Testament says that we are like flowers of the field…here one day and gone the next.  He knows that we are all weak, we all are helpless.  But, there are a few people that God sees as needing His help…and ours…even more than others.  The fatherless, the widow and the alien.

Since Rick left for heaven I have felt many emotions and dealt with lots of different feelings of loss.  But, one of the hardest things to deal with has been his presence as a husband and father.  He is no longer here to take care of me…physically, emotionally, spiritually.  And he is not here to give our children, even though they are adults, what they need from a loving daddy.  Those are great losses that are hard to describe and hard to understand completely unless you have experienced them firsthand.  Things as simple as these:  taking a walk and having Rick walk on the outside, guarding me from oncoming traffic…always having to drive the car now, not having Rick here to drive…having him here at night, making me feel safe…needing to talk to him about something, needing advice…having the assurance of being loved, no matter what.  There are so many more things, but I’m sure you get the idea.  Our children experience loss in a deep way as well…needing Rick’s counsel…needing his assurance that all will be well…needing to hear the words “I love you”…needing spiritual wisdom and godly teaching.  It’s hard not having him here.

I am learning daily, in the midst of this pain, just how important it is to know the Word of God.  There are truths in God’s word that He has for us that can change our lives.   If we choose to believe Him, to believe that His words are true, they can make all the difference in how we live.  Two life changing statements for me are:  God is a Father to the fatherless…God defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow. He knew there would be those of us who would need a special part of Him…an extra measure of His care.  And He has promised to be all that we need.  I remind Him daily that my children are fatherless and need Him to defend their causes…whatever that may be for that day.  And I remind Him that now that Rick is gone…He has promised to be my husband.  In that role…I ask Him to be all that I need for the day.

Each day that we live we need God.  We cannot do this life without Him.  Whether you have experienced a great loss similar to mine, or have experienced some other loss or hurt…God is enough.  He wants to be for you all that you need.  He is waiting to come to us in ways that we may have never thought possible…deep in our hearts…filling those places of pain and longing.  I am still hurting so much each day…it has gotten some better, but I still miss Rick horribly.  But, this one thing I know…God has promised me that He will be my husband, our defender and a father to our children.  He does not lie and He always keeps His word.  What is He to you?  He wants to meet your need as well…may you find Him faithful….

Sending much love,

Debbie

This entry was written on June 25, 2010 at 12:25 am