Heaven is her home

Father, I thank you so much that we can boldly come to whenever and I thank you that so many people have been reached because of Miranda Cole's birth story. Sadly, for her father here on Earth, Miranda died. But, LORD, we know in whose arms she resides. Her mother cheerfully greeting her long awaited baby, and both of them surrounded in the arms of Jesus. I pray LORD that you hold Chad tight, that you continue to fill his heart and lips with songs of praise as he did in this blog post. I pray that you allow him all the support he needs in the form of how his faith has touched a community. And I pray that only those that wish him well and know him are the ones who choose to respond to his public tragedy. I pray Father that you allow him to grieve on his own timing, in his own way, and that people and timetables do not dictate when he should be healed. I pray that he is able to go through all stages of grief, and that others who loved his wife and child can safely do so on their own, as well. I pray for PEACE. I pray that peace comes in small forms, in tiny reminders that YOU are in control of all things that that YOU redeem us for our losses. I pray that Peace comes to this family by way of a gradual exit of the public profile rather than an abrupt loss as well. I pray that Chad finds comfort from his family and church family without fear of reporters or gossipers to get in the know. I pray for a place he can share his grief, where he can be real, when in the times that he wants to tell people that he just doesn't trust You, he can say so without feeling like he is betraying You or the image of himself that others have put on him. I pray that he finds a new normal, a position in which he is content with going to work, the grocery store, etc. in his own timing. I pray that Chad takes care of himself as it is so easy to self medicate in overeating, indulging in TV, internet, drugs, alcohol and other things. I pray that you allow him to see a bit of a glimpse of his future in which the pain is not so great, and the longing to be with his wife and child is diminishing. I pray that You give him strength to wake up each morning, especially on the mornings that the lump in his throat is so great that even the simple act of breathing causes pain. I pray that You give him permission to let himself feel human and vulnerable around his immediate family members, so as not to bare the burden of this loss all on his own. I mostly just want to ask you to be his ROCK, his Sustainer, his healer, his refuge and his COUNSELOR. You are the Great Physician and your work is not done in this family. It is going to take MANY YEARS for this grief to pass, for him to feel halfway decent, and to be able to not feel jaded. I pray that you teach the people around him how to accept his new self, as much of his old self will be hard to recognize in months and years to come. I pray that when the letters and notes, and cards and flowers and phone calls stop coming, that you remind Chad that Sara and Miranda were chosen, that they were loved and that they mattered. I pray that you remind him that You are taking good care of them and that his purpose here on this Earth has just begun. Remind him how fortunate he was to have been their husband and father and that his life matters.

I pray all these things and more in Jesus' name, AMEN!