I woke up this morning to the news that little Phoebe Fair has left this earth we call home. With tears swelling in my eyes, we headed off to church. On the way, I just kept thinking about how Phoebe was giggling the other day about the girl in the living room roaring like a lion. My sister and I were texting back and forth a little as the service began, and she mentioned how she just read this verse in Hosea:
“They will walk after the LORD, He will roar like a lion; Indeed He will roar And His sons will come trembling from the west.” -Hosea 11:10
I got halfway through the verse on my iphone and had to pass Chuck the phone, because I couldn’t finish the verse. Pastors came and greeted us asking how we were. I replied, “good” with tear stained cheeks. They probably wondered if there was a pre-service marriage discussion. 🙂 It seemed still to intimate to share the news and how my heart ached for Nathan, Amey, and the boys.
Worship begins and it’s John Mark McMillians song called “Death in Grave”. I look across the crowd to see a young man passionately worshipping with a lion printed t-shirt. With tears streaming down my face and my hands lifted high, I thanked Jesus that He truly put death in the grave. Phoebe heard that lion roar and she knew her Father’s voice. She knew in her strong spirit that a better home awaited her. When the lion roared in Hosea, the children went home.
Then my mind moved onto Phoebe’s conversation with her mom awhile back,
Phoebe: “God loves us. God loves us and God is not a meanie.”
Amey: “That’s right Phoebe, God loves us very much.”
Phoebe: “And I am not afraid, say it Mom, say “I am not afraid.”
Amey, teary-eyed: “I am not afraid.”
I am amazed that in the midst of a battle bigger than most of us have ever known, she didn’t waver about the goodness of God. And now she rests, or perhaps dances in the arms of that good God she knows so well.
Please keep her family in your prayers during this fragile time.
For Phoebe’s full story visit her blog…
mrsannamaher.com 