psalm 34:18

The Lord is near the brokenhearted; He delivers those who are discouraged. (Psalms 34:18 NET)

When I am farthest away from everything else, I am nearest to God. When I feel abandoned and rejected by my family, and have no friends to turn to; when finances crash and my health fails and I see no way out; when facing my past is terrifying and facing my future reveals a void; when my own stupidity and weakness and sinfulness crushes me to near despairing... God is close to me. When I am hollowed out with grief, He fills me with His loving Presence. No matter what I suffer and lose on earth, God is my inheritance forever. He will never leave or betray me. He holds both my past and my future in His caring hands. When my heart is broken to pieces, then He can touch it most gently, putting it back together as precious art, with the gold of faith. When I crack under stress, His Light pours in through the shattered places, beams of hope through the darkness. When I weep, He promises me joy in Him, but He also gives me a bittersweet and beautiful joy in my tears, for He always, weeps with me. He never downplays my grief, or laughs it off, or says its no big deal. He cares, deeply and completely, to the point of feeling everything I feel. How else could He understand so sincerely? How else could He heal so thoroughly? How else could He love so totally? He heals my hurts but He shares them first. He bleeds with me. He carries my scars. He knows my suffering, and through it, He points me to the Cross-- the sacred place where I am nearest to Him, where I am delivered from all discouragement, where my wrecked and weeping earthly body dies with Him... to be reborn new and joyous and free with Him, with the promise of eternal life... of eternal Love. My broken heart is a doorway inviting me to participate in Christ's suffering just as He participates in mine-- to come into His Passion where I will learn compassion, mirroring His own pierced Heart on the Cross, pouring out mercy and empathy for all the aching hearts who seek refuge in His. Let my pain, too, then, bring me to Him. Let it all be blessed. Let me throw my arms around this Cross on which we both hang, held between heaven and earth. The Lord is close, closest to me then.

psalm 91:2

I say this about the Lord, my shelter and my stronghold, my God in whom I trust – (Psalms 91:2 NET)

To trust God is to surrender all control into His care. In this way He truly becomes our safe haven, our unshakable Rock. 
Inevery stormy circumstance, He is our shelter, for He both creates & controls the weather of our lives. Taking refuge in Him, trusting His judgment, no lightning or winds can destroy us.
In every battle, He is our stronghold, an insurmountable wall and impenetrable fortress. No matter how powerfully the enemy attacks us-- whether he targets our our mind, our body, our soul-- God will save and secure our life; in the end, we shall be victorious in Him.
We cannot control the violent storm. We cannot defend ourself against an army. If we try, we will fail, and suffer terrific damage. But if we run to the Lord, He will always protect and preserve us, for He is the Almighty, the Ruler and Creator of All-- everything is under His Power.
To be in His embrace is the warmest rest; to be in His Heart is the safest place.

grandma

My grandmother may be dying.

The nurses today said her condition is critical. Her cancer has spread too far; her pain requires morphine to manage now and her cognitive function has plummeted. She can't breathe, she can barely eat, her body is both swollen and terrifyingly thin. Oh God please help her.

I've feared her death since I was a toddler. She is half of my heart; she is my mother, my best friend, my constant companion in life. We did everything together. But now... now that it's the end, I've been taken away, put elsewhere. I can't bear it. I need to see if there's any way I can stay at her house for a while, regardless of difficulty. She is worth every sacrifice.

I beg of your, pray that when the Lord calls her to Himself, I am there with her, holding her, saying goodbye for now. Pray that her passing is peaceful and painless. Pray for her soul to go straight to heaven if possible; let me suffer for her sake if God will allow it. Pray that she is given the grace of a holy death, with the graces of the Sacraments as well. And pray that Jesus and Mary come to meet her and joyfully take her home at last.

Her name is Marie. Pray for her, please.

🙏💔