A Prayer For The Morehouse And Spelman College Classes of 1984

by Darryl L. Fortson, MD

Heavenly Father;

  We, the members of the 1984 Classes of Morehouse and Spelman College, approach you today with heavy hearts, mourning the passing of yet another one of our brothers, George G. O'Neal (Neal) Hickson this past week. We further mourn the passing of the son of our dear sister Angela Shannon Reid (Bill), and we pray for mercy for our brother Frank Flores and his recovery from sudden, severe illness while overseas. Furthermore, we pray for all the men and women we have lost recently over the past several years from both of our classes, and for the spouses and children that others have lost too soon as well.

  Lord, regarding these matters, you know our hearts and our sorrow. You know the weeping we have done for classmates and roommates, former girlfriends and boyfriends, fraternity brothers and sorority sisters, for the best men and maids and matrons of honor in our weddings. You know the pain of losing a Son, so You certainly know the pain of losing a friend. And You know that this is no light matter among us; that, even though we have lost some to whom we were not particularly close or knew that well, the joy and comradery of the shared "Spelhouse" experience is now mirrored by the pain of loss of one of our own. This pain is so great Lord, that we can feel it in our communications with one another, not only in our calls but in our texts and our online communications; a pain so intrusive that we are tempted to retreat from one another just to guard our hearts from the sadness.

   And the fear, Lord - the fear. Lord, many of us are afraid, because so much death and unwellness for the relatively young is so new to us, and after we ask the questions of how and why for those who have passed on, we inevitably pivot to the question, "what about me?" We ask if we can or will survive the seemingly relentless news of loss, not to mention the question of "when will our classmates be mourning our passing?" We ask ourselves "are we next?" Are we participants in a life or death game of chance? Have we accomplished what we left Morehouse and Spelman to accomplish? Are we on track for long and healthy lives, or are we doomed to unwellness, infirmity, or sudden death? And if we were to die in this season as our classmates have, what would become of our spouses, our children, our parents, and most of all, our eternal souls? The possible uncertainty of the answers to these questions for many of us invoke fear in our hearts and our minds, Father God - a nagging fear that few can articulate or dare confess to anyone but You.

  And so we drift as we drive - haunted. Haunted at work, haunted in our sleep, haunted in our silent moments - slightly unsure as we walk without choice to our future, none of us knowing the time and place of the end, but now knowing with profound and visceral certainty that one day, sooner than ever before, that it will indeed end. And so Lord, we pray for a plan of action - not only to process the losses but to conduct our lives going forward in a manner that is consistent with your Word that a "spirit of fear" is not what You have given us, but instead "of power, and of love and of a sound mind" and to live knowing, as Your Word informs us, that "there is no fear in love," but that "perfect love casts out all fear."

  Lord, we pray for the souls of those we have lost thus far and we pray that You have brought them to Your bosom for care and sustenance forever in Your Heavenly Kingdom; but Father God, we also pray for ourselves in these hours of grief. We need a system, a technique, a Spirit of strengthening endeavor that keeps us moving forward in the midst of these losses, whether it continues to come early in our lives or in a later season, because it really, really hurts to lose those close to us.

  And so, as we should have always done, we look to Your Word and to You for guidance and for resources. It is in your Holy Word that you teach us that "all things work together for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." This Scripture forces us to conclude that the premature deaths of these men and women have a purpose, and that it is ultimately good for those who love You - painful though it may be - that they have been called home to You for their reward. We further pray for those of us who have not been called home yet so that we may learn and grow from the passing of our classmates in order to seek a closer, more authentic, and deeper walk with You. Therefore, we pray that You will keep Your merciful hands on us and guide us to obedience and victory over past transgressions and current, repetitive sins.

   Lord, we have work to do - show us the path to protect and improve our health so that we can do it. We have children to raise and assist, and grandchildren to pass our wisdom, history, and our inheritance on to. We have wounds we have inflicted on ourselves and upon those we love and have loved to repent of and make amends for. We have aspirations and hopes and dreams and witty inventions that we wish not to take to our graves unachieved, unfinished, or unbuilt. Show us how to keep ourselves alive, vibrant, and productive. Father God, direct us to good, culturally aware doctors to identify the inflammatory markers in our blood that will move us to decrease the inflammation in our bodies through proper diet, antioxidant and nutritional supplementation, exercise, good sleep, and the living bread of Jesus and His Word. Move those of us with strong family histories of heart disease, those with histories of hypertension and diabetes, and those with histories of smoking, heavy drinking, cocaine use, and toxic exposures in our local environment or in the military to pursue possible development of occult or early heart disease, kidney disease, and cancer with an increased level of surveillance and scrutiny.

  But most of all, in this present moment, we pray for peace in the blessed assurance that Jesus is ours, and that our expressions of faith are not, as Rev. Vernon Keith Jones told us at the recent passing of one of our Morehouse brothers, some "theological mumbo jumbo" but "because of a pure, deep-down, unadulterated Gospel that hope is brilliant in the light of the promise of a Resurrection and a glad surprise."

Let us capture the hope of "the glad surprise," Lord. If there is anyone reading or hearing this prayer among us or among those similarly situated, bless them to capture that hope. If they are affiliated with anyone or anything through alliance, association or oath that impedes their relationship with You, that demotes You to a subordinate level in their lives, may they either break ties with those people or those entities, or - if possible and if it is truly Your sovereign will - may they work to bring such people or entities into right relationship with You, that You may appropriately be glorified above all people and things, so that lives may be prolonged and souls may be saved. And, if there be any among us, who have not confessed their sins before You, Lord Jesus, and repented of them, and with their mouths professed You as their Lord and Savior, let them do so RIGHT NOW.

  Finally Lord, we ask that this prayer be imbued with the power of the Holy Ghost - that it will effect righteous action to preserve and improve life among us, and that it will cause us to dedicate or rededicate our lives and efforts in life to You, for the blessing and salvation of many. And we pray this prayer to the only one who can, and who we would want to answer it, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray.

Let all who stand in agreement with this prayer, say "Amen."