In his book Life
After Heart Surgery, David
Burke recalls his close brush with death. Lying in his hospital bed after a
second open-heart surgery, he found himself in incredible pain, unable to draw
a full breath. Feeling that he was slipping toward eternity, he prayed one last
time, trusting God and thanking Him for forgiveness of his sin.
David was thinking about seeing his dad, who had died
several years earlier, when his nurse asked how he was feeling. He replied,
“I’m okay now,” explaining
he was ready to go to heaven and meet God. “Not on my shift, buddy!” she said.
Soon the doctors were opening his chest again and removing two liters of fluid.
That done, David began to recover.
It’s not unusual for any of us to ponder what it will
be like when we face our final moments on earth. But those who “die in the
Lord” have the certainty that they are “blessed” ( Rev 14:13) and that their
death is “precious in the sight of the Lord” ( Ps. 116:15).
God fashioned our days even before we existed (Ps. 139:16), and we exist
now only because “the breath of the Almighty gives [us] life” (Job 33:4).
Though we don’t know how many breaths we have left—we can rest in the knowledge
that He does.
From our first breath to our last, we are in God's care. (RBC)
