40 Days of Love | Day One | Lessons on Love

On May 30, 2010 at 10:15 AM during our preservice prayer time I felt compelled to pray "Lord, get glory in this day." I remember I repeated it... "Lord, get glory in this day!" What I didn't realize was at that exact moment God was doing just what I was asking.

I was thinking about the next hour and a half that we would be in our worship service at Willamette. I was thinking about people worshipping God and hearing and responding to His word. I was thinking, praying and believing that those were the ways God would get glory. Yet at 10:15 AM on May 30, 2010, 600 miles away, God was getting getting glory.

2 Timothy 4:18 says "the Lord will bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever."

That's just what God did for my brother. He brought Ben safely home. He started that process at 10:15 AM when Ben had his first of two seizures. He answered my prayer in a way unexpected and frankly undesired. Ben died about a hour later. God got glory on May 30. How?  By proving how faithful He is in every situation. In fact for the 32 1/2 years previous, since that wonderful and yet dark day on November 11, 1977 when Ben was born, God has been getting glory.

Ben was my teacher. Though he was my baby brother with Down's Syndrome, he taught me about love. God's love. I want to reflect on these lessons over these next 40 days. Lessons on Love taught by God through Ben.
More later.
VAN