With the Death of a Son
by
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“THE STORM RAGES”
“…Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house: And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead;…Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped…” [Job 1:18-20]
The most devastating and unforgettable thing in this life, is the message of death, when and how it comes.
For Job, it was a servant coming to him with the news that all seven of his sons were dead. For me it was a phone call at 12:24, Saturday afternoon, September 16, 2006, from my middle son, Johnny. “Mama”, he said, “Davey committed suicide. He is deceased. You need to come.” Knowing it would be hard for me to believe, he added, “Here’s an officer.”
An officer came on the line, “I’m sorry, Ma’am, but what your son said is true.”
The question is, how are we going to handle this message when it comes?
We can blame God; become angry and take it out on God; become embittered and curse God; turn to the false gods of alcohol and drugs; OR, we can lean on Jesus right now when we need Him most; trust His judgment; turn to His Word for comfort, direction, and strength; and call on our Christian family to pray for us at a time when we are too hurt and confused to pray as we ought.
Job: arose, and mourned in his grief as their custom was in his day - being: he tore his outer garment; and shaved his head. Then he fell down upon the ground, and worshipped. In other words, he fell down prostrate [flat], humbly beseeched and did reverence unto the God of heaven and earth.
Me: stunned, I replied some acknowledgment and hung up.
Something inside of me wanted to scream “NOOOOOOoo!! at the top of my lungs. However, God’s still small voice in the back of my mind said, “God’s Word has come to pass!”
My mind then went back 9 years earlier to September 1997, before Davey was released from prison that December, when the Lord gave me a prophetic dream that abruptly awoke me, and left me sobbing and horrified.
The dream went: “Davey was living in Georgia near his brother, Johnny. The phone rang and Johnny was on the other end saying, ’Mama, Davey is dead.’” In my sleep, I experienced all the shock, the grief, the horror, and the realization that I would never see Davey again, nor would our family ever be all-together again. Things would never be the same on this earth again!!
The same morning of my dream, I was scheduled to visit Davey at the prison. I was so upset by how utterly real the dream was, that I couldn’t drive up there. My middle daughter, Taragayle, drove us up in my car that day, while I sat there distraught; crying and praying, ‘Lord, I need a promise!!’ This He gave me and I penned the words to the following song:
“I‘m Gonna Pick This Body Up Someday“.
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About the Book
With the Death of a Son is a sequel, sharing the tragic conclusion to the youngest of the four. This autobiography gives hope, comfort, and guidance to others grieving a life-wrenching loss. The events in this true story take place in the deep South, in the states of
About the Author
Jo Antley, known in the ministry as Sis. Jo, was the author of Alone Outside the Walls, a true account of left alone to raise four children while her husband was in prison. How her children overcame and succeeded in life are featured in that book.
With the Death of a Son is a sequel, sharing the tragic conclusion to the youngest of the four. This autobiography gives hope, comfort, and guidance to others grieving a life-wrenching loss. The events in this true story take place in the deep South, in the states of
Sis. Jo, a single Mom, worked, raised her children in the faith, spent one full year at Indian River Jr. College, and ten part-time years at
Beacon Ministries, Inc.
Sebring, FL. 33871-0363