Prayer Service Michael Runkel

Joe Runkel’s Dad

Good Evening, my name is Pastor Dan Norman and while I never got to know Michael, I just recently began to get to know some of his family. They have asked me to lead a prayer service and I am honored to do so on their behalf.

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If I was going to summarize what I have learned today about Michael I would have to say that he loved his family, his big dogs and muscle cars… and that he fought long and hard to stay here with them as long as possible. Cancer is a damnable disease and every fight against it is noble and noteworthy.

You know God used the Apostle Paul to write half the books of the New Testament, and while we don’t know the name of the disease that was constantly attacking him, Paul called it his “thorn in the flesh”. Over and over again this Apostle prayed that God would remove this debilitating obstacle… but God did not do so.

It is hard when we pray for obviously good things like healing and still it doesn’t come. I know that many prayers were prayed for Michael over the years and just like the Apostle Paul, we don’t know why God chose not to answer those prayers. We don’t know why God chose not to heal him.

What we do know is that God is not ignoring our pain on a day like today. When Jesus arrived at the funeral of his good friend Lazarus he looked around at all the grief, pain and tears and you know what the Bible says… Jesus wept. Those two words make up the shortest verse in the Bible, John 11:35 but it is one of the most powerful verses on a day like today.

The great King David knew what it was like to loose loved ones as well. He grieved terribly over the lost of several of his sons. From those experiences he penned the words of Psalm 34:18 which says:

Psalm 34:18 ESV

18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

And like King David and the Apostle Paul we know that Michael’s legacy is not wrapped up in those things that struggled against here on earth, but in the noble way he fought through them.

In the same book that he talked about this “thorn in the flesh” The Apostle Paul who understood suffering and affliction said:

2 Corinthians 1:3–4 ESV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

In other words, God is the one who brings comforts to the broken hearted. He does that first and foremost through our hearts directly as we cry out to Him in our grief and pain. But He also does His work through the presence and encouragement of others like those gathered here tonight. In Love we gather together to express our condolences, carry the burden of grief, speak words of encouragement and point to the eternal hope of heaven where “cancer” has no presence or power to destroy any more.

So if you would please join with me in prayer.

Prayer:

Lord God, sometimes we don’t know what to say and we just turn to you. That is the case today. We turn to you to be our strength during this time of loss. While we are here morning death, we know You are the giver of life in the name of your Son Jesus Christ, who is the source of eternal life. We don’t always understand why you allow what you do, but we know that you have felt the pain of death and sent your Son to break it’s power. So we are trusting you today, even though we don’t understand.

Father, you know our grief. Give us peace and comfort. Dry our tears. Soothe our pain. We know of the cross and the death of your Son, Jesus. We know too of the empty tomb. How thankful we are that Jesus rose on the third day, never to die again. We cling to his promise, “Because I live, you shall live also.”

Thank you, Lord that in you there is victory over death and for the grace and love that share that victory with us. Comfort us in our loss, deepen our trust in Jesus our Savior; and strengthen our resolve to live for him.

In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.