"WHERE WILL YOU BE TOMORROW?"

The news came that there had been a fatal traffic accident and the life of one of our close friends son had been taken prematurely. “How awful. How tragic,” I thought. Only 18 and his life was ended so suddenly. Then the phone rang. “Will you sing at the funeral” I heard as the words stung my heart. Immediately I responded, “of course I will!” I couldn’t say no. I’ve always considered it an honor to be asked to sing no matter the situation or place. As I hung up the phone I began to think of what I would sing. It depended on whether he was saved or not. My usual song is “Serenaded by Angels,” but how could I possibly sing that if I was uncertain about his salvation. I picked up the phone and quickly called the Pastor in charge of the service and asked him. “Yes, when he was younger he made a profession of faith” he said. Praise God, an affirmative answer! I was so relieved. I got the CD out and put it in and began to sing it and I began to imagine all the beauties he was gazing on at that very moment. I couldn’t help but have an extremely heavy heart for his parents, family and friends, but all I could think of is how he was indeed led to the throne of God by the angels who were sent to receive him into the Kingdom of Heaven. What joy he must have felt. What splendor he must have saw as he entered the gates of that city so bright and fair. The joy he must have felt as he was met by his grandmother who had recently passed and all the other ones who had gone on before him. What a welcoming committee that surely must have met him at the gate!!

The funeral would be set for that following Saturday so I thought to myself I’ll have some short amount of time to get a grip on my emotions so I could sing. Saturday came and as we drove up to the funeral home we would find that there was nowhere to park! The parking lot was full, across the street was full, down the sides of the roads were full!! As we entered the funeral home we quickly found that there would be “standing room only” also!! The people were packed in like sardines. So many people had come to pay tribute to this young man. The service began and a good friend sang first. A hush fell over the crowd as she began to sing “Ten Thousand Angels Cried.” The Pastor prayed and then opened it up for whose who wished to say something in honor of the young man. It was one right after another. The story remained the same throughout most of their words. “He was the best friend I ever had. He was special, kind, loving, caring, extremely intelligent, etc. He gave me some sense of worth in my life. He will be our guardian angel now to watch over us. I can’t believe he’s gone and I’ll never see him again. I never had a friend before him. I most likely will never have another friend!” The last sentence struck me so hard. I thought, “oh if you only knew his Jesus you would know that you have a friend. One that will never leave you!” I had already prayed for the officiating Pastor, but at that point I began to ask God to empower him in a way that he could penetrate the hearts that were being destroyed by their grief. They were devastated without any hope. I realized they did not know Jesus therefore they would be tormented by their loss for a very long time. I prayed God would somehow show those young and old alike the hope that this young man had had. As each one took the podium my heart became more and more burdened and saddened by what I was hearing. The tears began to pour. Not so much for the young man’s body who was occupying the casket, but for those who had no hope of ever seeing him again!!! How horrible that must be I thought to myself!! As the last person sat down the Pastor took the podium again and as he spoke a lump formed in my throat and the tears burned my eyes. As I stood there and prayed for a peace I felt a hand on my shoulder and knew it was my husband. In a moment I knew he was praying for me as I felt the very presence of God fill me from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. A calm fell over me that I have never known before. As the Pastor ended the service with a prayer I began to make my way to the podium to sing. I prayed that those who were in range of my voice would hear the words to my song and they would realize all that the Pastor has said about being ready for Heaven would come to life in their minds. The Pastor had given a time of invitation for those who did not have the hope of seeing their friend again. He made it perfectly clear that without the salvation that this young man had experienced there would be no glad reunion day for them, but if they did they would definitely see him again! I prayed that in some small way the words of my song would reiterate what the Pastor had said and they would receive Christ as their Savior. As I sang a song that normally has no volume without a microphone (which the funeral home had none), the words came out strong and clear and I was told later it could be heard to the back of the funeral home!! It had nothing to do with me. It had all to do with the wonderful Saviour that the song spoke of and the Pastor spoke of. It spoke of the same Saviour that this young man knew. The same Saviour he is now with. My prayer is that his friends and loved ones will realize the brevity of life. I pray they will consider the fact that his tomorrow never came here on this earth, but began in Heaven and will prepare for that place should their tomorrow never come here. I am at peace with where I know he is, but my heart still is burdened for those who know no peace because they do not know Jesus as their Saviour. I pray through this they will believe. Never go to sleep angry, harbor bitter feelings about someone or fail to tell someone you love them and mean it because you are not guaranteed to see or speak with them again. Most importantly be prepared just in case your tomorrow doesn’t start here on this earth!

“Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. “
Amos 4:12