August 1

Mourning with Those Who Mourn

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn (Romans 12:15).

Scripture: Romans 12:14-21

Song: “Held”

A missionary we support in Africa visited a family who had just lost a child. Even though they were the ones being comforted, the grieving family, according to the customs in their country, served their guests with the utmost hospitality. They offered a meal that the people traditionally eat with their hands, but they gave our friend a spoon. She struggled with knowing she’d just shaken hands with everyone in the room, but felt that if she ate with the spoon, it might look as if she felt too good to eat with her hands as they do. She declined the spoon. She also drank (a little) of the water they’d given her.

Before leaving, feeling she’d done little to comfort the family, she did what she could. “I prayed for the woman who had just lost a child, and for her husband who wasn’t a believer,” she said. “I asked that God take this brokenness and turn it into a blessing.”

Two weeks later, she heard that the husband had decided to be- come a follower of Christ. You see, he was deeply moved that she sat on the floor with them, ate the rice with her hand, and drank from their cup. “A God who motivates people to do these things for others,” he said, “must be worth following.”

O Lord, I pray for those who are grieving over lost loved ones, who feel alone and without hope. Please turn their brokenness into a blessing. In Christ I pray. Amen.

August 1–5. Janet Mountjoy and her husband are now retired after working with churches in the Midwest and Florida for 35 years. She enjoys family time, writing, reading, and camping.