God Hears a Woman’s Cry

The most plaintive cry I have ever heard came from a friend, who lost her 24-year old son. Not only did she have to cope with the sudden death of her son, she had to wrap her mind around the reality that a “friend” hated him so much, that he took Jonathan’s life away from him. He took him away from everyone who loved him, knowing that Jonathan had just welcomed an 11-day old daughter into the world.

These are the fears no parent should face and every parent prays they never experience. Norma went through an agony that few of us can comprehend. She entered into a “land of deepest night, of utter darkness and disorder, where even the light is like darkness.” (Job 10:22)

She woke up to a nightmare every morning for weeks. I looked up that word, “nightmare,” to try and fathom the depth of her pain, and the closest synonym I could find to describe Norma’s ordeal was “living hell.” In addition to the grief and the heartache, she feared for her son. Every mother wants to know where her children are. The cry of her heart? Where is Jonathan? Is he ok? Is he at peace? Is he with you?

Then, she had a dream. At least, she thinks it was a dream. She could see herself in her bedroom, lying on her bed, curled up like a child. After that, she saw her son.

Jonathan entered her bedroom smiling a smile she had never seen before. He didn’t say a word, but he passed by her bed and looked at her with a joy beyond any he had ever displayed while on earth. They exchanged no words, but one look from her radiant son, and she was filled with peace; a peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7), and which can only come from God.

No one but God could have communicated that comfort, that sure knowledge, that hope in the eternal to this grieving mother. She suffers still. There’s no sugar-coating profound loss, but Norma knows where her baby boy is. More importantly, she knows who is keeping him safe until the time they are united once again.

I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.
Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live. (Ps 116:1-2)