“Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭27‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

One thing I have found in the 11 months that I’ve been writing Heaven On Wheels is that God always chooses the right verse or verses to match my thoughts. I’ve talked before about my rather random method of choosing a topic; it’s actually not random at all, it’s God at work.

On this day in 2018 I was depressed and worried because my father was in hospice care. Barb and I had an early afternoon appointment for teeth cleaning with our dentist, and I had no sooner sat down in the chair than my iPhone rang. Dad had passed away. Fortunately, we had sat by his bedside and prayed for him just that morning.

Last year, Mom followed Dad in death on March 19, 2022. After her passing, I felt oddly abandoned by my parents, although I knew that they wouldn’t live in their earthly bodies forever. It’s just that they had always been there, first caring for me, then giving me the honor of letting me care for them.

This Psalm jumped out at me today as I was thinking about the passing of my parents. I really haven’t been depressed or mournful about their deaths, which has caused me some guilt. I now know that I shouldn’t feel guilty about not being wracked with grief, because it is my close walk with God each day that is sustaining me.

Psalm 27 is another of the beautiful songs of David, and in this verse he shows concern that his parents might abandon him after he sends them to Moab for their own protection. Yet David knew that God’s love and care would go beyond the closest human relationships — that of a mother and father for their child. Even if they did abandon him, God would not.

James Boice said in his commentary about this verse that we all want acceptance, to be heard, guidance, and protection from parents. God fulfills each of these wants for all of us, including those who never received these things from a parent or whose parents are no longer alive.

As I fondly remember my father and mother today, I rejoice in the comfort, acceptance, guidance and protection that God provides me each and every day.

Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:

Thank You, Lord, for always being there for me. Even on days when I may feel sad about someone I have lost or something I may have done, You give me solace by holding me in Your loving arms. AMEN.