Groanings Too Deep For Words

My friend Larry died yesterday.

It was sudden and unexpected. If you are reading this, stop now and pray for Larry's wife and family.

I never know what to say when I get the news that someone I know has died. Usually, anything I say will only make things awkward.

I have known Larry for a good many years. We didn't get to spend time together as often as I would have liked, but the time that we did spend together was wonderful. Larry was one of those rare people that gave you the feeling that you had always known him, even if you had just met.

My wife met him for the first time a few years ago when he and his wife came for dinner at our house. She instantly loved him.

It is sometimes an overwhelming feeling when searching for the words to speak to the families of those who have passed when words are far too clumsy a thing to express the cries of the heart. I can pray for them, but there too, words are not enough.

The Apostle Paul offers some comforting words in his letter to the believers in Rome.
"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." (Romans 8:26)

Larry Oden was a dearly loved brother in Christ and a great man.