“For from days of old no one has heard, nor has ear perceived, Nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who works and acts in behalf of the one who [gladly] waits for Him. You meet him who rejoices in doing that which is morally right, Who remembers You in Your ways. Indeed, You were angry, for we sinned; We have long continued in our sins [prolonging Your anger]. And shall we be saved [under such circumstances]?”
Isaiah 64:4-5 AMP
There’s something about death that causes the veil between earth and eternity to become paper thin, almost translucent. I’ve sat before the veil a handful of times with different loved ones and each time, I feel I see a little more clearly. Maybe it’s age that brings perspective – I’m not sure.
One of the things I do when sitting with a loved one at the edge of death is worship. I sit in the stillness and just sing songs that exalt the name of G-d. That close to eternity, He seems closer. I had a chance to do that for my Great Aunt Saturday – to just sit and sing, inviting Him close in what would be her final moments.
As I come home last night after visiting my Great Aunt for the last time this side of heaven and singing one of her favorite choruses with my daughter, Alathia and I spoke of death, eternity, and hope It’s in moments like this that I begun to loosen my grip on the things of this world a little more and lean towards eternity. I look intently towards the veil, straining to see Him and to hear Him more clearly. And then it happens – I catch a glimpse of Him and my breath catches.
There is no one like Him on earth. No person that can compare. No god that can even come close. He is the first and the last. He is the beginning and the end. He holds life in His hands. He orders our days, numbering them one by one. And then, in a moment, life as we know it as over and eternity is embraced.
Sometimes we need a perspective shift. A chance to pause and look at the stuff around us – both the worries that entangle and the tangible things we have been blessed with – and measure it against eternity and the One who really matters.
I told Alathia last night that it is a gift to wait at the edge of eternity with someone. It’s a gift to be reminded of the brevity of life and the vanity of earthly trappings.
From my first breath until now, He has sustained and guided me, loved and disciplined me, forgiven and redeemed me. There’s no God like Him. I see and feel that truth a little more clearly today.
Father – thank You for Your grace and mercy. Thank You for the gift of life and of death. You are good and You keep doing good. Your leadership in my life is perfect and You can be trusted. Amen.
Daily Reading: Isaiah 64-66
August 1, 2022