My Heart is Still in His Hands
“He will have no fear of bad news:
his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”
Psalm 112:7 (NIV)
Each year I have a focus word and Bible verse that serves as my prayer for that year. As 2021 ended, I chose today’s verse as my prayer focus for 2022. I long for a steadfast heart, one that is fixed, firm, and focused on the steadfast hope that is found in Jesus Christ.
Late Friday afternoon I posted the latest Bible Bits devotional My Heart is in His Hands. Hearts that truly know God are:
Desperate for God
Dependent on God
Delivered by God and
Delighted in God
I had no way of knowing what the next morning would bring. Saturday morning during breakfast we received a phone call from Rainbow Omega letting us know that James Bruce died some time during the night or early morning hours. The Talladega County Coroner thinks he had a seizure; his primary care physician says he probably aspirated. All I know is that James Bruce went to sleep in his bed at Rainbow Omega and woke up in the arms of Jesus.
Just before that life-changing phone call came, I had been working my way through John 16, preparing to teach it in Bible Study this Thursday. The last thing I wrote in my journal was my summary of John 16:
A coming separation
Confusion before clarity
Grief to joy
Only after Rainbow’s call did I realize that God was already preparing me for James Bruce’s death. I’ll have much more to say about those thoughts in the coming days, but for right now I need everyone to know that our family is focusing on one word: grateful.
I am so grateful that I had the privilege of being James Bruce’s Mama and we are so blessed to have been his family. Last week when I talked to him, James Bruce said, “Mama I come home?” It wasn’t a statement, but a question and I knew what he was asking. I responded with, “No, Baby. They won’t let us bring you home and we can’t come visit because of Covid restrictions.” I asked him to sing me a song and he began singing Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Oh how, James Bruce loved both singing and Christmas!
God took care of both of us by taking James Bruce all the way home on February 12. Our hearts are broken, but they are still in God’s hands. There are just more pieces to gather. (John 6:12) As soon as the phone call came, Laura Black’s words from 2012 flooded my heart and mind: “Donna, no matter what happens, God is always good, and we are always loved.”
Indeed, He is and indeed we are!
James Bruce’s memorial service will be held at 2PM Thursday, February 17 in the sanctuary at Briarwood Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, we are asking people to consider a memorial donation in James Bruce’s honor to Rainbow Omega or Big Oak Ranch. I can think of no better way to honor James Bruce’s life and legacy than to support those two wonderful organizations who, in the name of Christ, serve the least, the last, and the lost.
We covet your prayers in the days ahead as we grieve. But I want you to know that we do not grieve as those who have no hope. Hope is a faith that looks forward and we have the:
Hope of God’s Word
Hope of salvation
Hope of Christ in us
Hope of heaven
Hope of the resurrection and the
Hope of glory
By God’s grace, our hearts are still in His hands.