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Just a Psalm
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Revelation 21:4
I saw him in the hospital ward. Six of us, all restless and anxious, staring at the walls and wishing we could somehow fly away with the light of the setting sun.
He arrived when I was already there. Pale, confused, fear written across his face. He was older than I was and they placed him in the bed opposite mine.
“What are you in for?” I asked.
“Operation,” he said quietly. “Tomorrow.”
My heart went out to him. But what could I do, sick myself? Then I heard a thought: Write him about My presence.
It was soft, but the conviction was clear. Here was a man gripped by fear, and God was telling me to share His love. I could not ignore it.
I pulled out my pen and wrote down Psalm 23. Nothing flashy. No sermon, no lecture, no promises of a perfect life. Just a Psalm. Just the reminder that even in the valley of the shadow of death, we are not alone. The nurse handed it to him just before they wheeled him off the next morning. He took it silently, said nothing and there he went.
Two days later, I saw him again. Joyful. Radiant.
“That note,” he said, “It was glorious. It took away my fear. While they worked on me, I dreamed I was in heaven. No harps I saw, but there was warmth, laughter, familiar faces, people I thought I had lost. Then I heard a voice… I’m certain it was Jesus’ voice saying, ‘Heaven is your home. Where I am, you will be also.’ When I woke, I felt completely renewed.”
All from a simple Psalm.
I could have dismissed the urge to share God’s Word. The world would have moved on. But I didn’t. And it mattered.
A pen, a Psalm and a willingness to listen; that was all it took. You may not be in a hospital ward, but someone in your world is lying awake tonight, afraid. Pick up your pen. Let the Spirit guide your words. That is why we, Christian writers, write.
That is beautiful!