Dear Prayer Warriors,
Bricklaying
There’s a story Tim Challies wrote of his father who was a master landscaper. One day, He hires his son Tim to help him do a job. The landscaper was laying a brick path from the street to a house. Right on the street laid an enormous pile of bricks. “Bring me one brick at a time.” Said the father to his son. Even though son could gather multiple bricks and walk them over, he obediently took them one by one to the kneeling landscaper who calculated the stone’s placement. This pace worked harmoniously with the craftsman, allowing time for squeezing and turning each brick over a thin layer of sand and pressing them snug. The landscaper added careful taps, then laid his head to the ground gauging how level the placement was. With time, the pile on the street decreased and the path laid beautifully as the master landscaper’s vision became reality.
I picture myself as the son in that story. It is the Lord asking me to live out faithfully the sorrow that comes from losing my son. Jesus has already laid a year’s worth of the path; I don’t know when it will be done. I come to Him daily bringing my bit of grief. I have chosen to pray, to remember, to see and ask what the Master Landscaper is doing. If I let my emotions lead, it would rather fill a wheelbarrow of bricks and dump it every once in a while. But God isn’t asking me to lead through this valley, He is asking me to follow Him, to better know His voice. It’s about abiding in God’s way, trusting Him with all the pieces.
God gave me something to offer up to Him daily. It's my chance to walk and talk with Him. In this brick-bearing walk, I experience the Lord’s commitment to me. I see faith as a treasure. Never have I experienced the claims of the end of Romans 8 more literally. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8;38-39” It’s such a strong statement and it sounds so nice. Now I’m living proof of this, Simon’s death has not been a wedge in my love relationship with The Lord. Jesus is sticking with me and I with Him!!!
On one of my more difficult days, I prayed asking the Lord to condescend to my desire of seeing a vision of Simon in heaven. I never got that, but within two hours of praying, I received an email from one of our prayer warriors. He told me He had a dream of Simon on Jesus’ lap cheering me on in the faith. It makes me think of the master landscaper saying: “you’re doing it, good job son.” Daily to Jesus. He is making a beautiful path for His glory and my good. I am His workmanship!!
Lord, teach me to pray
My heart of prayer for my children is growing. Recently, a godly person shared the fruit he enjoys because he prays for his kids daily. I was convicted that I don’t pray daily for my children. Pray for me as I change to daily intentional prayer for my kids.
What’s surprising is that I still want to pray for Simon. I miss praying for him. I don’t think the Bible asks us to pray for the dead. Generally, when someone dies, I pray for the family on earth and not the dead person. Similarly, I haven’t been someone to converse with my son like he’s here next to me. Even at his grave I pray, thank, and sing rather than “talk to Simon”. I haven’t written letters addressed to him either. I don’t think doing these things are wrong or sinful, it’s a way of expressing sorrow for someone we miss dearly. I think for me, I don't do that because it would make me miss him more. I miss his love dearly.
I remember as a Catholic I used to “pray people out of purgatory” and prayed to dead saints when I desired their area of expertise. I know for sure the Bible does not ask us to do those things. Instead, what the Bible offers is full assurance that those who have faith in Jesus Christ are forgiven of their sins, and that upon death, they enter into the presence of the Lord immediately. I asked God “what should I do with my desire to think on, and pray for the life of my son who is with You.” What has come about is taking what I have learned about heaven and what I know about Simon and praying those things. It’s a heavenly praise-based prayer rather than an earthly needs-based prayer. join me in praying:
“Father, thank you for Jesus your Son who has rescued Simon from an eternity in hell and separation from you. I thank you that Simon never has to feel alone anymore, sad, weep, or be tempted to sin. I thank you that you have glorified Simon Emmanuel Currat in your heavenly realm. Thank you for perfecting him and clothing him with robes of white. His sin is now separated from him, thank you Jesus. I praise you that he is wholeheartedly worshipping you in song, with other saints as numerous as stars in the sky. Grant him adjectives to pour fresh, creative accolades upon your Son our Savior, the King of Kings. May Simon’s deep wonder and awe of you energize him in eternity like they did while he was with us. Father as he receives his crowns, I pray that Jesus would be exalted by Simon appreciating them and wholeheartedly throwing them at the feet of Jesus. I look forward to doing this alongside him one day.
Thank you for the union he gets to have with saints that he read about and the reunion to the few people he knew that are in your eternal fold ahead of him. Thank you for the work you have prepared for him to do in the new heavens and the new earth and for eternity. I pray that if it pleases You, that Simon’s work would include his well thought out vision of a waterslide from the top of Pikes Peak to the heart of Colorado Springs, moreover from the top of Mt. Everest to the ocean, moreover a waterslide from the moon to the earth. Amen.”
I remember how considerate and hopeful Simon proved to be to our family. Therefore, I wonder how those qualities translate and are injected into heaven now that he is present with the Lord. Most often we prayed for Simon to find friends, to reject sin, to set a good example, to grow interests that serve others, and also to allow his seeds of faith to take root in holiness. Simon took to heart so many things as he aimed to please everyone. I wonder how God is employing his gifting in heaven.
Praise the Lord for:
-You.
-Many answers to prayer! We’re going through 1 Peter at church and I have been humbled to see that I have not paid attention to the admonition for brothers and sisters in Christ to help and love each other exceptionally well, like family. It explains how much we have received from the Church amid our trials. Much compassion, courtesy, practical needs and prayer.
-Anna sleeping well with the Bi-PAP on most nights.
-An old prayer request I had years ago about Anna’s adult teeth to come in straight, they are.
-Renee is growing into fewer outbursts and is able to identify and put words to how she feels
-I started swimming weekly and celebrated 20 year of working at Target
-Tomorrow 9-10 is Victor’s second birthday.
Please Pray for:
-AWANA. I committed to serve there and Renee will be attending. We are pretty pumped.
-the perpetual needs Anna has, for full healing and equipping until then. We desire a night nurse however we have enjoyed not having another person at our house at night. Pray that Anna’s night time needs would be met through me and for her airway to remain clear.
-Joy and all the fruits of the Spirit to increase in our home. For the Lord to glorify Himself as we seek Him and live differently to the culture we are in.
-That we may minister comfort, compassion to other believers and share the Gospel with the lost.
-For our basement to be fixed.
Thank you for reading and praying for us,
Nic Currat
