Ask for comfort for family, friends, and self. A week ago, to ask for comfort for family, friends, and self was the furthest thing from my mind.

However, within half an hour that changed. I took a walk and stopped to check on an elderly neighbor. She had suffered a heart attack the week before, but she was happy to be home and on the road to recovery.

I told her I would stop at the store and pick up dinner for us. I paused to ask God for comfort for her and to give me the words to comfort her over our meal.

Before I returned from the store with dinner, I received a phone call from a different neighbor’s daughter. She said, “My dad passed away this afternoon.”

Those words pierced my heart. For several weeks, my neighbor had traveled back and forth to the hospital and then to a senior care & rehab facility to visit her husband. Now he was gone.

Once again, I found myself asking for comfort for another friend and her family. I also asked for comfort for my family and myself.

The new strain of flu throughout the United States has caused the death of more than fifty people this year. The news reporter said the flu season may last until May.

Because of the seriousness of the flu, I’m reluctant to shake hands with people and frequently wash my hands.

The one neighbor’s heart attack, the passing of another neighbor, and the deaths in the United States from the flu epidemic have triggered memories of the loss of my loved ones. They have also reminded me that my dad could die at any time. I could too for that matter.

Once again, I asked God for comfort for family, friends, and myself.

How long will you wait before you ask for comfort for family, friends, and yourself?

Psalm 119:76: “May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.”

Prayer: Dear God, my family and I face a difficult time with the loss of a loved one and the pending death of yet another. I ask for comfort for family, friends, and myself. Amen.

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