Home: The Peace of Resting in God's Embrace

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I love the imagery in Psalm 84:11!

For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

Can’t you just see Him?

He is more brilliant than the brightest star. There is nothing in our language that adequately describes the brilliance that is Him. I think of resplendent, radiant, relucent; but these words are not enough. I write of His brilliance from personal experience. Let me tell you my story.

In August of 2004 at my Dad’s birthday celebration, he broke the news to us that he had a spot on his lung. It was sobering yes, but we were hopeful since it seemed that it was caught in time for treatment. Well, by November, it was clear he was not strong enough to take the treatment. The treatment was killing him faster than the cancer.

We took him home and had our last Christmas together with him on this earth and by March he was gone….home. But at that time, I did not understand and was so lost; lost in sorrow, lost in grief, lost in a very dark place. For months I was inconsolable.

I would lie down at night to go to sleep and my mind would be filled with images of Dad in those last few months; in those last few months where when Hospice was not there, we were. My brother, my mother and I fed him, bathed him, cleaned him, sat with him, and watched him slowly fade away. Then I would sit up and cry; no it was sob. I sobbed. My husband would wrap his arms around me and hold me until exhausted I would fall asleep.

Then one night, He came. As I lay in bed, sleeping or almost sleeping, I saw the brightest of bright lights; resplendent, radiant, reluctant. And in that brilliance, I heard, not with anything audible like a human voice, but with the understanding in my soul, that He had my Dad and my Dad was home. And with that such peace came over me.

There are many amazing aspects to this but THE most amazing thing is that the Lord of the universe, my precious Savior, looked upon me and showed me His mercy.

How amazing is that grace. That moment was a turning point in my life. I turned away from selfishness and self-absorption and began the walk with Him.

It is now 2015, almost 11 years since Dad went home to be with the Lord. In that time, Mom has too passed away. And when she did, the work He began in me extended peace throughout this loss.

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6

Every step of every day of our lives, whether we acknowledge Him or not, He is there. It is so easy to lose sight of him; to take our eyes away from Him. But He is faithful and I am forever, eternally grateful.