Seeking God
Last fall Nicole’s aunt, Bonnie Townsend, passed away. If ever there was someone who people prayed to be healed of a devastating disease, it was Bonnie. Yet, after a diligent battle with cancer, she slipped into eternity. I remember when I was asked to share a few thoughts, that the lingering question was “Why didn’t God heal Bonnie?” I asked God to help me with this question, and while it was specific to Bonnie’s death, it can also be more broadly applied to our struggle with prayer, God’s interaction with us, and the Divine encountering the temporal.
Nicole and I are in the midst of one of the most wonderful yet uncertain times in our lives. God has clearly spoken to us about our future ministry yet the physical realities of God’s word coming to pass are scarce. Today, God called to my remembrance what he spoke to me for Bonnie’s funeral about prayer and about relationship with Him. I have copied it below for those who may be interested in reading it.
Bonnie Lambert Townsend
July 31, 1942- September 5, 2007
I have been asked to share a few thoughts as someone who was part of the family. My wife, Nicole, was rather close to her Aunt Bonnie, so we have been fairly aware of the challenges that she has faced over the last couple of years. One of the things that I have seen is the ability of the family to seek the Lord for the miraculous and for the minuscule. I’d like to talk about the minuscule first.
A few months ago, my four-year-old son, Seth wasn’t feeling well. Nicole had received a call from Bonnie to give an update on how things were going with her health. Nicole mentioned that Seth wasn’t feeling well, and right-away Bonnie asked to talk to Seth and pray for him. Seth quickly began to feel better and was back to his normal routine within a few hours. A few days later, he had a slight tummy ache and right-away knew what the remedy was…a call to Aunt Bonnie.
Bonnie took time for family. The small, seemingly insignificant things that were part of the lives of others, she found to be important. A call on your birthday, a congratulations after an accomplishment, sharing a meaningful story of God’s blessings or reaching out to someone in need…from how Bonnie lived it was clear she saw life not just as a journey, but as a pilgrimage. Life was an opportunity to do the work of the Lord day by day. It wasn’t about just getting to the heavenly city, it was about sharing the heart of Jesus and reaching out with His love each and every day.
So what about the miraculous? Did Bonnie have faith? She absolutely did. While she was
diligent to do the things humanly possible to secure her health, she also trusted in the Hand of God to work a miracle. In her mind, it was not a question of if God would heal her, it was only when He was going to do it. Plan to die? That was not on the agenda…but plan to live…that filled up every day.
Family prayed…friends prayed…church people prayed and even sinners prayed. Everyone of us sought God for a divine healing on Bonnie’s behalf…and today we stand here looking at a coffin with the form of a lovely woman we once knew inside. Was the miraculous not to be? Was it just her time to go? I am not sure of all the answers to these questions yet there are a few things that I am sure of.
Jesus was the author and finisher of Bonnie’s faith. The Bible says that He is the Fairest of Ten-Thousand, The Bright and Morning Star, The Lily of the Valley, The Rose of Sharon, He is our peace, He is our Strong Tower. In Him is the Fullness of the God-head and in Him is life-everlasting. This same Jesus was the one who Bonnie prayed to, and the one who Bonnie modeled her life after. And it is this same Jesus who we look to for answers today.
Jesus was God and yet not every prayer He prayed was answered in the way in which he wished. He prayed that He would not have to die on the cross. He spent a night in agony to the Father about what He was going to face…yet He knew the plan of God handed Him a chosen destiny.
I have asked the Lord to help me have some insight into why Bonnie’s life came to such a quick close. And here is the final thoughts which I would like to share…
God uses each of us for His glory and His purpose. What if these last few weeks were orchestrated for our benefit. What if by seeing a strong warrior of faith slip into eternity God was asking us to seek Him just a little more diligently. What if by seeking God’s face for Bonnie’s healing, we discovered that He is too wonderful for us to once again slip back into complacency. What if by Bonnie’s strong faith both in life and death, God received Glory because we drew closer to Him.
The Westminster Catechism says: The Chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Hebrews 12: 2 says “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” Our mourning is not as that of the pagans of this world for believers in Christ know that “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. Thank you.