by Marilyn Ehle
“The Lord does not ignore the cry of the afflicted..” Psalm 9:12
Even in the midst of extended and drastic chemotherapy, her e-mail messages to scores of friends were sprinkled with humor: “Decided today that my blonde wig just isn’t fashionable with Chemo Pallor.” Or “Gnarly Dr. _____ really needs a better bedside manner. Wonder if I should take him dancing.”
But what my friend wrote in her private journal had a far different tone. There she could pour out her pain, discouragement and frustration. And it was that cry – “the cry of the afflicted” that God could not ignore, those words that He gathered into the crevices of His own heart. The psalmist writes, “You, O God, see trouble and grief.”
In her book, “When Your Friend Has Cancer” Amy Harwell writes, “Listen to the cancer patient – Embrace her – Pray for her”. All this and more we must do for our friends experiencing the trauma of disease, divorce or other tragedy. How much more important and comforting it is to remember that “God does not ignore the cry of the afflicted..”
Father God, thank you for understanding my weaknesses, for listening to my cries. Help me trust you even more with the deep needs of my life.
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