On Wednesday morning, Christ Our Lord came to take Oom Peter Subadya, Santy’s dad and my father in-law, home. For years he was bedridden, unable to stand and walk; and had to endure discomfort and sometimes pain. Several times he was rushed to the hospital for emergency care, taken on a stretcher, brought back on a stretcher, from one hospital bed to another hospital bed.  But through it all he remained strong; he did not complain or protest; he kept his faith.

Before he was sick, he made it a habit to sit and read the Bible then pray and sing praises to God every morning. At times after his time with the Lord, he would say this to me, “The Word of God is just so beautiful and true.” Not only did he find his Scripture reading so enlightening and encouraging, but also, he found it to be true from firsthand experience. His long and winding life that was filled not only with joy and laughter, but also with tears and sweat, became a testing ground for God’s promises. Time and again the hand of the Lord was upon him to provide him with strength, hope, and a way.

As I have already shared with you in the Bible Study, the attending nurse who was with him till the end, was a devout child of God.  He did not ask for this man, but God knew that would be something he would have wanted to.  So, Our Heavenly Father appointed this man to attend to his last medical needs.  The day after, the man who was sent to pick up the hospital bed, was also a child of God.  I sensed it right away by the answer he gave me when I asked him, “How are you?”  He replied, “I am blessed!  Look at the sunshine, look at the flowers!  I am blessed!”  Another gift from Our Heavenly Father.

While disassembling the hospital bed, this man muttered something beautiful and true, “It does not matter how bad things are, at the end of the day, they will only work in our favor.” Amen, Brother!

Pastor Paul