Do you wonder what dying will be like for a believer?

As I entered the lady’s bedroom in her care home, I could tell she was in her final moments of life.

Unable to talk now and in a deep sleep, as I spoke her name, held her hand and told her I was here, she seemed to smile. There’d been many conversations about this moment, and we all knew her wishes. She wanted to remain out of hospital now and stay in her care home without an attempt of resuscitation so that she could have a natural, peaceful, dignified death.

She was a Christian and knew her value in Christ, even in her frailty. She had told me the last time I visited that she was ready to be with her Lord and His timing would be perfect. Her Bible was still by her bed, tapestry Bible verses on her wall, and her calendar for today that the carers had kindly updated on her behalf said, ‘Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you’. What a promise for this moment!

Those final, sweet moments

So, in the quiet, I prayed. I reminded her that she was deeply loved by our Father, never abandoned or forsaken, and soon, the Lord would come and take her to be with Him, in heaven, for eternity.

A gentle knock at the door. Carers quietly coming to see that she’s comfortable. She was clearly loved by them as they needed to say their goodbyes and be sure she was peaceful. One carer told me she’d been singing Sunday school songs to her earlier this morning. Another gently combed her hair knowing just the way she liked it. Some carers thanked her for being so kind and caring to them. I do hope she heard.

Her final moments were calm, quiet and the room felt full of peace. There was no indication of distress or discomfort. I stayed for this short time, her breathing naturally becoming more shallow and less frequent. As life was ebbing away from her, I knew in a matter of moments, she would become more alive than she’d ever been before in Heaven.

What was waiting for her?

As I sat by her side, I wondered what was happening in the heavenly realms. What preparation was completing in her new home? Was Jesus preparing to return for her now? I’d recently read these verses that had touched me deeply: ‘Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going’ (John 14: 1-4).

Do you, like me, sometimes wonder what dying will be like? Our Father, knowing us so well, has the most beautiful plan for this very moment. For a follower of Jesus, whether a death seems sudden or expected, we know with certainty, that Jesus Himself promises to join us in this moment; to personally come back and take us to be with Him.