Father's Day tribute

Every year, we would wonder
What to get hubby's father
He was hard to buy for but
Every year, a variation on a theme
A Cardinals t-shirt, or a Cardinals book
These he received with gratitude.

This year, no need to ponder
What to give
For the only thing we can give this year
Is flowers on a grave
The loss still fresh
Even though he passed in January.

Hubby is stoic - no emotion from him, at least that I can see.
Even though his dad is gone
And on Father's Day
His own son left to go to Boy Scout camp
For a week.
No celebration either way.
How strange he must feel, yet he keeps it inside.

And for me? My own father gone almost 30 years
I put flowers on his grave as well.
He never got to see his grandchildren on earth.
He watches them from Heaven.
And I miss him too, and at the grave today
I said, Perhaps if the Lord comes soon
And calls us all home with trumpet sound,
I will see you soon
And we will never be parted again.

This is the first Father's Day
That both our fathers are gone.
An empty day for both of us.
Hopefully, next year will be better.
We will not sorrow
And we will remember happier times.

Prayer - Part 7

Tonight's post is on James 5:13-14.

James 5:13-14 (NLT)

¹³a Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray.

When we are suffering, the best solution is always to pray to the Lord for comfort and renewal. He will forgive our sins and ease our burdens, if it is within His will.

¹³b Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.

Are you having a great day? Is everything going well in your life? Rejoice and thank the Lord for His goodness and mercy. You can sing hymns or praise songs that you know, or if none come to mind, you can always go to the Psalms for praises. Make up your own tune as you sing a Psalm!

¹⁴ Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.

When our physical body is suffering through illness, what a comfort it is to have fellow Christians pray for you. Our spirits will be healed and made whole, and our bodies may be made whole too, if it is God's will.

That's all for tonight. Thanks for reading! See you again too!

Diane

Prayer - Part 6

Here's another post on prayer. Tonight's verse is James 5:16.

16(a) Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

If our sins are not confessed, our souls grow sick, which can lead to physical sickness as well. Those who suffer from depression often have physical aches and pains as well. Hiding our misdoings can also make us anxious as to when we will be found out. When we confess our sins to each other and everything is out in the open, forgiveness can happen. Praying for those who have sinned either against us or against others is very freeing and is what our Savior wants from us. If we pray for others, they will pray for us in return.

16(b) The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

In order for your prayers to be heard by the Father, you must be righteous - that is, free from sin. We must confess our sins and have them forgiven before we pray for others. This concept connects to the first part of this verse. Once our sins have been confessed and forgiven, earnest prayer is very powerful and wonderful things can result.

In the next post, we'll go back a couple of verses and focus on James 5:13-15. Thanks for reading! See you next time!

Diane