Introduction to " Comforting hugs for those who grieve"

Blessed are they who mourn for they shall be comforted" (Mat.5:4 ).

We mourn for different reasons such as a loss of a job, a relationship, a body part, good health, or a loved one. The bad thing is that we live in a world that want us to just "get on with life" and not take the time to grieve. But if we do not take the time to grieve totally we will be stuck in that grief mode all our lives. That is going to change here and now. Queen has asked me if I would help your all in your valley of grief. I said, "Yes". Understand that I am a minister/Chaplain/Christian writer. I cannot sit down and council each of you personally. So to help you on your journey I will be posting devotionals as well as the steps of grief, and any other thing I find that may help you. I call these, "Comforting hugs for the grieving soul".

note from Author

In 2015, I will be writing a devotional called, "Comforting hugs for those who grieve".
I pray that this will help you as you walk through your valley of grief or help those who do.


Happy new year!


Toni Whitacre-Kratochvil

Last lesson of heroes of faith

There are many more prophets that is not covered in this book. We have looked at the heroes of faith that Hebrew chapter 11 spoke of. Many generations have come and gone and many heroes have been added to this hall. But I must ask you... when people walk this hall generations from now, will they find your picture hanging in God's great hall of faith?

(Have a pic of me in the mirror with my profile at the end)

Zechariah the prophet

Zechariah the prophet

Served under King Darius

The next picture we see is that of Zechariah. Zechariah the prophet was the son of Berkiah. who are the son of Oddo. Zechariah worked in the house of God collecting the offerings. His name means the Lord remembers. It is very fitting that he is the one in which God choose to prophecy to the people after came back from their exile of 70 years.

Zechariah must have been a great man of faith, for God spoke to him through visions, angels, and personally giving him great messages that sounds like it is coming from a Father. First, God had him explain to the Jews why they went through the exile, then he gave them a message of hope for the future. In the message of hope, the messiah is promised. Zechariah was faithful to deliver that message and God's people has stood on these promised every since. That is why his picture hangs here in the great hall of faith.

Ezekiel~ a faithful watchmen on the wall for God

Ezekiel~ a faithful watchmen on the wall for God

Years of service: 606-536

The next picture that we see is that of Ezekiel. Ezekiel is the son of Buzi. Let us look at his faithfulness to God.

Up to this point in time, God had been sending  many watchmen on the wall to warn them of the coming curse that they would endure because of their rebellion, but they choose not to repent and come back to God. Now they were suffering for their lack of faith and obedience. This is when God choose to call Ezekiel to be a watchman and prophet for him during the time of king Jehoiachin's captivity and the Israelites' exile. His message was to the people of Judah. When he was called, he given a very interesting vision asked to eat a scroll of lamentations, mourning and woe. This symbolized what they were going through at the time.

 Then He was instructed to go to a rebellious nation to deliver a message in action. God had Ezekiel do this because they had not listened to the words of the past watchmen. Some of the messages in action went totally against the laws that had been given to the people. Like cooking bread over dung. But Ezekiel was faithful to God's instructions and did them. In doing so he delivered a powerful message that the people clearly understood.

Once these messages were delivered and understood. God has Ezekiel deliver messages of hope to the people. As he tells them of how God will punish those who have hurt them and will restore Jerusalem again.

Ezekiel's faithfulness helped God's people to move from depression to having a hope for the future. That is why he is in this great hall of faith!

John the Baptist~ God's last prophet and herald

The last picture on the wall is that of John the Baptist. Before I start to tell you about John the Baptist and his great faith, I need to explain what a herald is, so that you will understand the title. A herald is a royal or official messenger who goes before a person in power, such as a Lord or King to announce his coming.They often ran ahead of the Lord or King to let those that he was coming to see know that he was on his way. This allowed them to prepare for this honored guest.  In some ways, all the prophets has been announcing the coming of Jesus-the Messiah for many years. But John the Baptist was the one God had anointed to be the one who was to run just ahead of Jesus announcing His coming and the coming of His kingdom. In this way, John the Baptist was Jesus' ambassador. 

A herald also ran ahead of an army announcing that the army was coming to attack and take over a kingdom. John the Baptist's ministry was to run ahead of Jesus' ministry proclaiming that the kingdom of God was coming to earth to fight and take over the Satan's kingdom. 

 Let us now look at this great man of faith. 

John the Baptist was the son of Zachariah the priest and his wife, Elisabeth who were very obedient to God & his laws. Go called and anointed  John the Baptist to be Jesus' Herald when he was in the womb. We see this when an angel goes to Zachariah to tell him that he will have a son and how to raise him.

We know that John the Baptist was a great man of faith, because he always did as God told him to do. Even when it is it was hard things such as call the spiritual leaders  of the day, "snakes", or tell the King  that he was upsetting God by marrying his sister-in-law. But his highest calling was to tell them that Jesus, the Messiah was coming and then pointed him out when Jesus had arrived. In the end, his obedience got him killed, but his death was the gate way to Jesus' ministry. May we be found as faithful as he!

Daniel~ a man who stood faithful in the face of tests and death

The next picture we see here is that of Daniel. Daniel was a great man of faith who stayed faithful even when those around him tried to steer him away from his walk with God. Let us take a closer look at this great man, shall we?

When King Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem during the reign of King Jehoiakim, he was took back to Babylon some of the vessels of the house of God, and had them put into the house of his false god. Then the King had Ashpenaz, the master of the his eunuchs, bring men who were healthy, smart, & knowledgeable in science. Among these men there was taken four faithful men. These men were none other than Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who were given new names of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. With them was a young man named Daniel.

These men was put to test many times in this strange land that didn't worship the one true God and had customs that went against their beliefs. Yet they stood faithful to their God. For example when they were given food that would go against following the diet that God had told his people to follow, they choose to stay true to it (Dan. 1:6-21). In this we see that they had self-control.  When King Nebuchadnezzar had an idol that looked like him made and had everyone bow down to it. Daniels 3 friends did not do so and ended up being put into a fiery furnace, but God spared their lives (Dan. 3).

Like his friends, Daniel stayed faithful to God. What helped him do this is because he talked with God daily. We see him faithfully praying to God three times a day even when a law was made that said not to pray to anyone else but King Darius for 30 days, or be thrown into a lions den. God honored Daniel's faithfulness by keeping the lions from eating him (Dan. 6).He was also a man of courage as he was not afraid to stand on his beliefs Dan. 1:8; 6), as well as speak the truth to the Kings when they asked him (Dan.2; 4; 5).

I believe that God let Daniel know the future and gave him prophecies of the future of God's people, because of his faithfulness to God (Dan. 7-12).   Evenwhen Ezekiel prophecied of the judgement of God's people, he spoke of how God would deliver Daniel because of his righteousness (Ez.14:14).