Unless I Had Believed

—by Lois Lang

I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Psalm 27:13

In chatting with a new friend at church, she (knowing I was a widow) asked when my husband had died.  I told her my first husband died in 2000, and my second husband died in 2008.  She was aghast at hearing that I had suffered the loss of not one, but two husbands, and she asked, “How did you get through it all?”  I was able to answer her that God had been (and still is) my strength and my comfort.  Her husband had just undergone some serious heart issues, and she said she had been faced with the fact that her husband may die and she would be left alone, and she was unsure what she would do without him.  I didn’t have any magic answers for her.  All I could tell her was, “You will do all right.  You love God, and He certainly loves you, and He will lead you through whatever you face, day by day, sometimes minute by minute, gently upholding you.  You will hurt, and you will grieve, but not as those without hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).”  That seemed to reassure her a bit, for which I am so glad.  She is a dear woman of God, and my heart goes out to her as she ponders how to handle what life throws at her at this stage of her life.

I was blessed to have had two wonderful men in my life to love.  Yes, I still grieve, and yes, I still hurt.  But I do not despair, because I believe--in God, who is my strength and my song, and who has become my salvation (Psalm 118:14).

Dear loving Heavenly Father, thank You for blessing us with very special people in our lives, who loved us and whom we loved.  But because the love was so good, it hurts so much to have them gone from our earthly lives.  We know they are safe with You, and for that we are so grateful.  But we miss them here.  Please wrap your strong arms around us and give us comfort and strength and peace.  Thank You that because we believe, we need not despair.  We love You, and worship You, and thank You.  We pray in the Name of Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life.