Bless the Lord

I have been deeply grieving the news I received yesterday regarding a dear friend of mine, Bonnie Dixon. Bonnie and I went to seminary together in the first class of the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond back in 1991. We also were a part of the first mission immersion team to travel to Zimbabwe, Africa in 1993, along with one other student. I envy the fact that Bonnie has returned to Zimbabwe to help the folks there dozens of times, including a three month trip there this summer. I received word Thursday afternoon from Bonnie's son, Aaron, that she had developed paricarditis and was hospitalized in Raleigh. When I called yesterday they informed me that she had suffered a stroke and is now paralyzed on her entire right side and is unable to speak.
Psalm 135 is a psalm that reminds the people of God what to do in the midst of exile, in the midst of crisis, in the midst of pain, suffering and more questions than answers, "BLESS THE LORD." This is where Job was led to after God finally responds (in chapters 38 - 41) to his questions about injustice in the world. God doesn't respond with explanations about divine justice. Rather, God speaks of his power and knowledge of all that is going on and how God is Creator. Job is reduced to silence and repentance for speaking about that which he did not know (see Job 42:1-6).
Sometimes it is enough just to know that God knows. I will try to be like Jobs friends in the beginning of the story, when they visited Job without words and were simply present with him in his grief. It was when they tried to explain it all that they began to get in trouble with their bad theology -- that bad things happen to people because of something bad they have done or thought. I will remain silent. I will be in prayer. I ask you to consider the same for Bonnie and many others in times like these!
Steve