Breath of God

New Years Eve 2020 the doctor called me that evening to tell me that Daddy was fading rapidly and probably only had a couple more days, we immediately went to the hospital to be with him. As many of you know Daddy loved the Lord deeply he lived every moment of every day praising Him, sharing His love, and basking in His presence. That night he was very tired because of the medicine they were giving him for pain.  He tried to visit with us but would get very sleepy.  He would look over at me and say “I’m just going to sit over here with Jesus if that’s ok.”  I replied, “Ok Daddy I’ll just sit over here with Jesus.” When I got home that night and was praying for him; God told me that we needed to take him off the oxygen. On January 3^rd, 2021 the hospital called stating that Dad was on 100% forced oxygen and things were not looking good. They told me we needed to make a decision suggesting we take him off the oxygen and make him comfortable.

We arrived early the next day.  Roy and I came into the room.  Dad’s eyes were open, he could not speak but he could hear us, I told Dad, “We are all here with you today Daddy because they are going to take you off the oxygen and you have to make the decision to start breathing on your own so you can go home with me, or you can go home to be with Jesus and that’s okay.”  The Holy Spirit instructed me to tell him to blink his eyes if he understood me.  He blinked that he understood.  As I stared into his eyes, I could see a deep longing in them.  I knew for sure then that he was not coming home with me.  “You want to go home to be with Jesus, don’t you?” I said. He then blinked his eyes 2 or 3 times telling me he was ready to go see Jesus.  

When his niece Malissa and my friend Cherolyn came into the room Roy, and I moved over so they could talk to him.  As I sat down in the chair I desperately prayed, “God what do I do now?”  Just as I prayed that prayer, Cherolyn, who has a gift from God to be able to discern through the Holy Spirit things taking place in the spiritual realm to assist people as they go to be with Jesus, stood up and began rubbing Dad’s head and singing his favorite song Amazing Grace to him. When she began singing, and comforting Daddy, God told me you just need to be there so he can hear your voice and she will do the rest.  As I watched her sing to him, pray over him and continue to comfort him I thanked God that she was there.

At 2pm they took Dad off the forced oxygen and he began breathing on his own. They told us it could be hours or days they never know.  Dad fought with every breath he took. The Holy Spirit impressed upon Cherolyn’s heart that he was carrying a burden that was holding him back.  When the rest of us went to dinner she stayed with Dad praying with him and asking the Lord to show her what his burden was. 

After family visited and went home; as 1 Chronicles 16:27 says, “Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.”  Cherolyn, Malissa, and I truly were in His glory as His presence filled that hospital room.

We returned to singing to Dad, sharing the love of Jesus with him, as we prayed The Lord’s Prayer over him, and I read the names of Jesus that he prayed every morning to him Dad’s eye movement showed us he was rejoicing with us in the Lord’s presence.

Cherolyn told me he was still burdened for the salvation of family members who had not yet come to know Jesus.  God impressed on me to confirm to him that I would take care of them. I leaned down close and spoke to him saying, “Daddy, you don’t have to worry about those you love, I will take your burdens for you and continue to pray for them.” It was after I spoke those words to him that his levels began going down. He was at peace. 

We continued to sing and pray over my Dad. My eyes were closed in prayer when Cherolyn said, “Open your eyes you’re going to want to see this.” Just then Dad took a quick large gasp of air. I looked up at Cherolyn thinking this was it and she said, “Nope, not just yet.” So, I took this last moment to lavish my Daddy with all the love God had given me for him, I began to cover his cheek with kisses as I told him how much I loved him and was going to miss him, but oh how I envied him that he was going to be in Heaven with Jesus.

As I was kissing Daddy’s cheek, I felt the mighty breath of God brush by my cheek and enter his body. He deeply gasped and I felt that mighty breath of God brush back by my cheek and I knew that Dad’s spirit left his body and he was ushered into the presence of Jesus.

I have had many wonderful experiences in my life with Christ.  But it was at that moment I said to myself if I ever doubted the Lord I never would again after that experience. 

We are in a time right now that if we don’t have a relationship with Jesus and don’t have Him be the most important part of our life we definitely should. Life is not promised it is a gift from God and I know that if I had not accepted Jesus in my life as a teenager in 1971, I would not be alive today.  Now is the time to make sure you know Jesus.

“Where o death is your victory? Where o death is your sting.”  I Corinthians 15:55 Death cannot hold us if we are in Christ, we have been given eternal life.  

Daddy’s heart was set on the Lord and his greatest desire was for everyone to come to know Jesus just as he did.

Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

God made a way for us, John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

I pray that no one would delay making that decision for Jesus today.  If you want to talk to me about knowing Jesus contact me.