A Safe Place to Grieve
This is an audio recording of A Safe Place to Grieve the Day 14 entry in Today for Seafarers (Vol. 1) devotional by Jason Zuidema.
Listen to the audio by Sheila Margerrison or read the text below:
“I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and
the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any
sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out
of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed
for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne
saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people,
and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God
himself will be with them and be their God.””
Most evenings, our chaplains offer a prayer service for the seafarers in our chapel. Since our seamens’ club has begun to offer free wireless Internet service (appreciated by all), our chapel services have not attracted as many participants.
So it was a surprise that a seafarer, a chief cook, stopped spending time on Facebook for two nights to come and pray. On both nights he seemed serious about putting a big request before God. He told me afterward that he was praying for the health of his mother. After chapel on the second night, he seemed at peace that God was going to take care of her.
The following day, I received a call of distress. It turned out that the man who had come to chapel those two nights had received a message from home saying that his beloved mother had passed away.
I drove over to pick him up, and as we were driving to the seafarers’ center, he remarked that he simply had to get off the ship. I offered to take him wherever he wanted to go around town, but he responded by saying, “No, I want to go to a place where I can feel at home.” When we arrived at the seafarer’s center, I offered to have a special prayer time with him.
We went into the chapel and spent time in prayer before God. It was a great privilege to help this man find a safe place to grieve for his mother, even though he was on the other side of the world away from his home.
For Further Thought
Why is home so important to us, especially when we are far away? What do you do when you feel homesick?
Why is it important that God lives among us, especially in his Son, Jesus Christ?
Do you need a home? Do you know that God is preparing a home for all who believe in him?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, may the joy we have received through your gift of free life be evident to all! Thank you that you do not leave us alone in this life but give us a spiritual home. In your name, Amen.
