The fact of God's help from Sophia 17.05.2024

In February 2020, I had a dream about my late grandmother (she passed away in 2013 at the age of 91). In the dream, we were in a large restaurant, and all our relatives were bustling around, setting up an abundant, lavish table full of all kinds of dishes and delicacies—so much so that plates had to be stacked on top of each other... In the dream, I clearly understood that this table was in honor of my grandmother, who was also there. She stood quietly and inconspicuously to the side, observing everything. Her appearance was unremarkable—she was thin, small, and hunched over, even though in life she had been plump, beautiful, round-faced, and well-groomed. In the dream, knowing that she had passed away but not feeling disturbed by her presence among us, I approached her and said, "Come, sit at the table, this is all in your honor!" To which she replied, "No, no. This has nothing to do with me." Then, looking around, I noticed that all the relatives were busy setting the table, but no one was interacting with her. I asked her again, "Does anyone else here see you?" She answered, "No, only you can see me." And then I woke up. The meaning of the dream was clear. My family, like most people in our society, believes in God in their hearts and observes the necessary rituals (funerals, memorials, etc.), but there is no church-centered prayer life with God. It’s the usual post-Soviet legacy. I tried to explain to my relatives that the deceased don’t need lavish memorial tables or bags of sweets and food distributed among relatives who don’t need them. What the deceased need is prayer and almsgiving to the poor in any form. But it was hard to get through to them. And then this dream, where my grandmother made it clear that she needed our prayers, not these feasts on the anniversaries of her death. I submitted my grandmother’s name for the Akathist "For the Departed" for a year and began praying for her on Saturdays starting from the end of February 2020. A couple of months into the prayers, a small miracle happened, strengthening my faith and giving me the understanding that the Lord accepts prayers for my grandmother... It was a Saturday, and I had been busy all day cleaning the house, etc. I heard a text message come in during the day, but I didn’t have time to check it. By evening, I finished my chores and, just at 8:30 PM Moscow time, prepared to pray for my grandmother. I picked up my phone five minutes before the prayer and saw the unread message from earlier. I decided to check it and was amazed—it was a short one-minute video from my brother. He had suddenly decided to send me a clip from our family video archive from the early 90s, where we were all sitting at the New Year’s table. In the foreground was my beautiful, happy grandmother, joyfully clapping her hands and singing along, while my brother (then a little boy) was dancing. I immediately understood that this was a sign from above. If I had watched the message earlier in the day, I wouldn’t have perceived it the same way, but seeing it five minutes before praying for my departed grandmother meant 100% that she was rejoicing in the prayers for her and that she was doing better! I was even more inspired and continued praying for her. Additionally, this year, on the anniversary of her death, I went home to my parents and told them about my dream and how I had been praying for her. Finally, my parents listened and decided not to hold the usual lavish, unnecessary memorial feast. Instead, they took a list of poor families in our area, prepared food packages and money, and delivered them to those in need. I remember the eyes of those poor people... Forgotten by the world but close to God... Their prayers, like lightning, reach Heaven, and for the first time, I felt that what we were doing this time was not empty rituals but a God-pleasing act! A year of prayers passed, and by February 2021, the final prayers for my grandmother were due. On February 27, I stood to pray for her for the second-to-last time. And again, just a few minutes before the prayer, I received a text from my sister with a link to an Instagram post and her caption: "Grandma has recovered!" I opened the link, and it was a post about a grandmother over 90 years old who had contracted severe COVID-19 a couple of months earlier. When I had visited my parents during the New Year holidays, my sister and I had talked about her, how she resembled our grandmother, how sweet she was, and how we hoped she would pull through and recover... And when my sister saw the news of her recovery, she sent it to me. The message came just a few minutes before the prayer. Of course, I immediately understood that this was an answer, first and foremost, about our grandmother, who had "recovered" in Heaven and was now at peace. And when I realized that February 27, 2021, was Parental Saturday, and February 28 was my grandmother’s birthday, my joy knew no bounds! I understood everything—our merciful, loving Lord had shown compassion to my grandmother, and she was now in peace and joy! And I felt peace and calm in my soul for her. But I still remember her every time in my morning prayers among my departed relatives. Glory to God for everything! Pray for one another... Both for those still in this world and for those already in eternity. The merciful Lord saves even those who can no longer pray for themselves through us! Our departed loved ones need this so much...