I will praise You now and I will praise You then.

Sunday 10-2-2012  Martinez, Argentina

Today we read: Zech 13 – 14    Psalm 147    Luke 15

S. Ps 147:1 How good it is to sing praises to our God! How delightful and how right! Vs 3 He heals the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds. Vs 4-6 He counts the stars and calls them all by name. How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!  His understanding is beyond comprehension! Vs 7 Sing out your thanks to the LORD; sing praises to our God, accompanied by harps. Vs 20 Praise the LORD!  NTL

O. How beautiful the words and message of Psalm 147.  It begins and ends with encouragement to “Praise the Lord!”  It makes me want to get out my harp, the Hawaiian guitar, and let its voice sing along with the saints to the King of kings… as they did last Friday night, making music to our God.  It says “sing to the Lord…”

A.  These words take me back almost exactly 6 years, Sunday Oct 3, 2010. They remind me of Frances’ final words spoken shortly before she went to heaven. “Sing to me!”  She had never before made this request. Tim, Cheryl, Michelle, Evan, Nancy, Mike and I gathered around her and began to sing. All heaven descended! We worshipped and wept rivers. She was going home. On Monday she could no longer eat or drink water. That night shortly after midnight, she was struggling to breathe and I awoke Nancy and called her into the room. Nancy began to sing and I joined her and again the presence of God’s Spirit literally saturated the room. We were not alone! Now Frances struggled to say her final words as I leaned close to her and asked her again and again to repeat what she was trying to say. Final in her last breath she made it understood, “I love you!” Moments later I released her hand to get a light foam mattress for Nancy to lie down on. When I took Frances’ hand again she was no longer struggling to breathe. I laid my head on her breast and there was no heart-beat.  In that short moment that I had released her hand, someone Who was invisible to our eyes had taken her hand and ushered her up the stairway to the stars and into another realm. My darling was gone… into the arms of Jesus! 

P. Oh Father God, and Jesus my wonderful Savior, through my tears… hear my cry to You! Please tell her I’m on my way. I’ll see her soon again! May we rejoice hand in hand as we worship You together! I will praise You now and I will praise You then.  And if I have a Hawaiian guitar in heaven, I will let it sing to You as well.  Amen.

Ralph