Remembering a friend: calling out to God and called home by him
By Dean Collins
I said goodbye to a friend just a few days ago. I had hoped I might give him hope for recovery as I stood by his bedside for a little more than an hour. It was hard to watch him struggle to get enough air in his lungs. He asked me to do most of the talking because it was easier for him to listen than to speak. And so I told stories of things we had done together years ago. He smiled and said he remembered. He laughed with his eyes because to do otherwise made his breathing more labored.
I got the news less than 24 hours later from his son that my friend Eddie had died peacefully the very next morning.
Calling out to God
I met Eddie Groover sometime between 1971 and 1974. We both agreed on that, but neither of us could be more exact. We met at a church camp called Lake Aurora in Lake Wales Florida. What is far more significant is that whatever date it was, it was the week he met his dear wife, Belinda. Belinda went to be with the Lord in December 2018. Eddie missed her severely yet remained his kind and gentle self to everyone around him.
I couldn’t help but think of Eddie this morning as I read Psalm 4. This psalm opens, “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!” Eddie knew the Lord, and as a man of faith who spent his whole career in Christian higher education, he no doubt had read and prayed this passage many times in seasons of difficulty. Dr Groover served Atlanta Christian College/Point University in nearly every role one could do: dean of men, professor of theology and church history, academic dean, president for 13 years, and finally chancellor until he retired a few years ago. If you have ever been the president of a Christian university, you frequently call out to God for help and rescue! Eddie did that not only as a leader but also as a father, a husband, a grandfather, a brother, and a friend to many.
In the middle of this psalm the author states that the Lord set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call him. I have no hesitation to write that on July 3 at about 9:55 or 10:00 a.m., the Lord heard Eddie’s call and answered him. God took Eddie Groover home peacefully.
Receiving joy from those around him
I read this psalm today first from the ESV translation and then from The Message. In The Message, verses 3-8 made me admire Eddie more than ever. As I pondered his request that I do most of the talking I suspect all who know Eddie would say he was always that way. He had no need to hear himself. He wanted to hear what you had to say. To be with friends and listen to their thoughts gave Eddie joy. The psalmist said it this way: ”You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.”
Eddie introduced me to the writings of CS Lewis. In a semester-long, seminar-style class, about a dozen of us read 10 books by Lewis. One of these was Lewis’s autobiography, Surprised by Joy. I am confident Eddie would say in the last four-and-a-half years he was often surprised by joy as he processed his grief after losing Belinda.
Dwelling in peace
The last verse of Psalm 4 says this: “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
On July 3rd in the mid-morning, Eddie claimed this verse once and for all. He now dwells in safety, fully alive in Christ, and probably not at all surprised to see his dear wife, Belinda.
Scripture can help us focus on what really matters and what is insignificant. May we all seek the one who gives life meaning and purpose so that we may also one day dwell in peace and safety forever.
Your time with God’s Word
Psalm 4:1-8 ESV
