An Honest Prayer

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. Psalm 116:15

 

I recently attended the funeral for a husband of a friend. I listened to wonderful testimonies about the life and faith of this man.  Though he obviously knew his Bible and was a spiritual leader and teacher in the church, when people talked about him they said,

• He was my friend.
• He encouraged me to sing.
• He believed in the children and helped them get scholarship money for college.
• If he gave you “that look” you knew things were not right (biblically) and you had better change what you were doing.
• He was always a help and an encouragement to his own spiritual leaders.

He was as well-respected as he was well-liked.

However, the most remarkable moment in the service for me was this: During a prayer his own pastor said, “Thank you Father that we don’t have to make stuff up about our brother who served You well.”

I found it humorous and convicting.  Humorous, because it implies how often it’s done; convicting, because the lives many of us lead require such platitudes when we’ve passed from this mortal body.

What will people be thankful for regarding you and me when we die? As my friend Lisa likes to say, “It’s something to think about.”