In the dream, I became so acutely aware of the man's state of mind that his thoughts, feelings, and struggles almost seemed my own. Although his eyes were nearly closed and his vision clouded, he could see his loved ones at his bedside. I watched as he tried to reach toward his family, but outwardly his arm never lifted.
Perceiving his thoughts, I heard him speak their names, but no sound whispered through his lips. A loved one holding his hand asked, "If you hear me, squeeze." He heard and pressed his fingers against hers, but no movement was seen; his hand clearly remained limp. He was conscious; he could hear their prayers, and he felt the warmth of their kisses on his face, but he was perfectly incapable of responding.
The pride and isolation that had, throughout his life, stood guard over his heart were gone. A physical catastrophe had overtaken him. Death approached, and he knew he was unprepared for eternity. Submerged beneath his placid exterior, a war had raged for his soul, which the Lord won. Subdued by the relentlessness of God's love, he was finally at peace. It was during his time in the hospital that he had silently prayed and accepted Christ as his Savior. I was watching his last effort to tell them as life ebbed out of his body.
Suddenly, monitoring alarms ripped through the muffled silence of the room. His heart beat one last time, and I found myself looking down at the body of a man who had just died. The room was buzzing with nurses, while his family huddled in a corner, grieving. The idea of their loved one dying without receiving Christ was more devastating than the reality of death itself. I stirred and then woke. Yet, just as I left the dream, the Lord spoke to my heart, "Tell them he's with Me."
I have felt an urgency to pass this dream onto those of you who this applies to. I am convinced that the Lord has an important work for you. However, the enemy has used this unresolved loss to sow doubt into your soul. Not only are you troubled about your deceased loved one, but you have doubts about God's love as well as the power of prayer. As a result, your confidence in God has diminished. Yet, it is precisely at this time that you need to stand without doubt for other members of your family.
Beloved, though there are many questions about the mysteries of life, we must not let the unknown obscure the face of the known. God is good. We know God loves us because He sent His Son to die for our sins. Indeed, Jesus said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). When we look at Christ, we see God, and we know that God cares and He is good.
Additionally, some of us have lost loved ones in sudden tragedies, where they seemingly had no time to repent or turn to God. Let me remind you of those who have faced near-death experiences and tell of seeing their "life flash before (their) eyes." They say that the progressive movement of time almost stopped. I believe that, even in what seemed like a "sudden" death, time itself slowed to a crawl. There apparently was enough time in this altered state to see and ponder one's life--and to make a decision or even call upon the name of the Lord.
In spite of what we do not know about the mysteries of life, one thing remains eternally true: God is our loving Father. He does not desire that any man perish, and He will fight to save us, even to the moment of our death. Let us, therefore, cast our burdens upon the Lord, for He genuinely cares for us. And let us again run with endurance the race set before us, for He has promised, "the people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, and those who were sitting in the...shadow of death, upon them a light dawned" (Matthew 4:16).
Let's Pray:"Lord Jesus, thank You for dying for my sins. Lord, there are many issues I do not know, but I do know that You are good. Those things I do not understand, I give to You. I trust You with my life and I put in Your hands the care of those I love."
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