There is hardly a situation where dying and death are easy. As a hospital chaplain, I have often stood by the bedside of patients coming to the end of their lives. Every time I am reminded of my weakness and must trust God for the right words or just a “ministry of presence.”
One event is deeply etched in my heart. I was summoned during the night to a room on the 10th floor where an older gentleman lay dying. Surrounding this beautiful man was his family, his wife holding his hand and one daughter rubbing his forehead with a damp washcloth. Someone had placed his Bible near his pillow opened to his favorite passage; other children and grandchildren were gathered around the room humming sacred music memorized over the years.
That room became a place of worship as this dear saint entered the presence of his Heavenly Father. A family member handed me his Bible, and I read verses from Revelation 21. What a solid foundation! “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them” (v. 3).