A Letter to J. C.
This is an English translation of a letter, written in Arabic by an Efmevi contributor, to his grieving extended family, whom had just lost a very dear member to them. The contributor's thoughts and reflections crown and seal the letter.
I wrote this letter to a dear member of my extended family, whom has always been the sunshine of our gathering. She was a lady in her fifties who was diagnosed with cancer that had spread to all parts of her body. She also used to be a Sunday School teacher for kindergarten age for over twenty years; I was one of her students as a five years old kid. All these thoughts raced in my mind when I first heard about her illness, but I had faith in her healing; I prayed continually just for her saying, “God, I ask in the name of Jesus that you heal hear from her sickness that your Name may be glorified”. I was very saddened, but never showed it and always had hope in God’s marvelous acts. As the situation worsened later, I was told that the family - her husband, children, and even my parents - was extremely grieved. Being miles away from them, I wanted to cheer them up giving them hope in the power of God. So, I contemplated on writing them a letter of support. I indeed wrote the letter, but never actually sent it to them. She passed away few days after I wrote the letter in Arabic. The letter was to remind them of Christ who defeated even death, and the power of his Holy Spirit in us.
Here's the translation of the letter.
To J. C. And Family,
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all as I am remembering you in my humble prayers and hoping that I am also in your prayers that will not return to you bare.
For even though I am not physically with you, my heart and spirit are present with you and feeling the bitterness and hardship you are passing through, but we must know that we should count it all joy when we fall in various trials (cf. Jm. 1), knowing and being established in faith that God is capable of doing all things and the Pantocrator; even the Creator of all in Christ Jesus.
Therefore, if medical hope has been lost, we are the children of God; the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the healer of the spirits, bodies, and souls. And we have the Spirit of Holiness who works in us at all times to cleanse not our souls alone, but also our bodies. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword (cf. Heb. 4:12), and we all testify that Christ performed miracles: healing the leper from the spreading leprosy in his flesh, the healing of the paralyzed for thirty eight years, and even raising the dead from the grave. Is it then difficult for him to heal such illness? Certainly not.
And the strange and wondrous thing about our great healing God is that he does not leave us as orphans, but he rather sent us the Spirit; the Paraclete. It is the same Spirit that he breathed upon the faces of his holy apostles whom he told that they will do greater works than these. Is there great work than raising the dead?! I do not think so. And this Spirit is never changing and unchangeable unto the ages of ages, this means that the same power and efficacy of this Spirit, during the time of the apostles, is now present and working in our weak body. Therefore if the same Spirit, then the same wonders; that the name of God may be glorified before the world and before our own selves who are of little faith.
Now prayer has to be based on a firm and steadfast faith in the promise of our Lord Jesus who says, “in that day [the day of the dwelling of God’s Spirit in us] you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” (Jn. 16: 23 – 24) [emphasis mine] and let not also the saying of the Apostle Paul in Romans escape your mind when he says, “But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Rom. 8:25 – 26). Therefore, let us remain unshakable and affirm our faith in the name of Jesus and in the Holy Spirit, who articulates our faint words to reach to the heavenly Father who will give us in time, that we may have perfect joy and that the name of the Lord be glorified.
My brother and his wife here greet you and remember you also in their prayers. Be well in the name of Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the Love of God the Father. Amen.
These were my thoughts after she has made a dwelling in heaven:
My first feeling after I heard of her departure was ‘good that she is relieved’, but the next thought that followed was one of sadness mixed with confusion. I did pray in faith and deeply believed in the verses I sent them. What did I do wrong?
Later, I put the puzzle pieces together. I prayed that she may be healed from her physical sickness, and her departure sure was a great healing; who would resist the joy of Life? She did not die for no one dies when they are in Christ Jesus (cf. Jn. 11:26) I also asked that the name of the Lord be magnified, and indeed it was. After her repose, all sorts of people came to offer their condolences to the grieving husband to the point that he said “I never realized that she was loved by so many people” and all those around him said “she is a real saint in all that the word entails.” Thus God’s name was glorified through her death, and therefore he did answer my prayers, but it was not the answer I wanted to hear. As for the verses from Jn. 16: 23 – 24 and Rm. 8:25 – 26, I realized that it was me who had an incomplete understanding of them. I did not really complete Romans verse in context were verse 27 of the same chapter says “Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” And this is what is meant by Jesus’ words that said to ask in his Name, it does not only mean that we mention the name of Jesus in our prayers, but in fact it means to ask according to who he is. Even though I had Faith, I did not submit it to God’s will.
But now, this lady has enjoyed Christ’s resurrection on a different level. She is among the other saints interceding for our family as much as all the others. She is not dead; she is in the ultimate joy of the resurrection from the dead.
