By Linda Evans Shepherd
Why is it that heartbreak so often happens during the holiday season?
As the world sings, “O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,” tragedy can suddenly zap away our joy. Loved ones can pass away, and lives can be turned upside down.
Even though Jesus came to set us free from sin and death, the enemies of humanity still seek to steal our peace and joy. I should know. I am a survivor of a Christmas season marked by unimaginable heartbreak.
During a car crash, my baby was thrown onto the freeway, still strapped into her car seat.
Even as I faced this tragedy, it was the Lord who gave me the courage to stop the doctors from pulling my daughter’s life support during her year-long coma. My precious daughter awoke—not to the life we had known, but to a life of severe disability.
We received the miracle we’d hoped for, though it wasn’t exactly the one we’d prayed for.
Yet I found blessings as the Lord helped me live in His incredible love and presence. He filled me with peace and joy, and my remarkable, joy-filled daughter lived until her 30th birthday. I miss her deeply. My home now endures a quiet that can sometimes overwhelm me, even during this season of joy. But God is still with me. He teaches me to overcome as He holds my hand and grants me peace. Perhaps you, too, have experienced the pain of a holiday tragedy, or found yourself grappling with loss during the season of merry.
Perhaps you’ve wondered, Does God care? Does He even see me?
Today, I visited that place again.
A speeding driver swerved into my lane, nearly causing an accident. Though it was a near miss, the screeching brakes brought me right back to the wreckage that surrounded my daughter’s car seat three decades ago. The sorrow followed me home, and I spent the afternoon wrestling with God as I searched for my joy.
It was Scripture and prayer that brought me back.
If you need to lift your eyes out of the holiday blues, please pray with me:
Dear Lord, I take my eyes off my pain and difficulties and turn them back to You. Your Word says in Colossians 3:2, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
Lord, as I look to You, I lay down my sorrow and pain at Your feet, knowing that You understand. I trust You with my heartache, knowing that when I place it in Your care, You will help me find peace.
As Isaiah 26:3 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” So, Lord, I ask for Your power to help me let go and rest in You. You remind me in Isaiah 41:10: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Lord, grant me Your peace and teach me how to trust You through these difficulties. Thank You for being with me and for returning my peace.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Linda Evans Shepherd is the publisher of Leading Hearts and the author of Praying Through Hard Times from Baker Revel. www.GotToPray.com
