"All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet
The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel-
which means, God with us." Matthew 1:22-23
God with us-
One of God's promises to us- is that he will never leave us nor forsake us.
Clarence lay there in his ICU bed, dying. There was nothing more that we- the medical team could do. His family was on their way. We were not sure if they would make it in time. I wish that I could say that he was not in pain, but he was. I wish that I could say that his death was peaceful, but it wasn't.
He did suffer before the end. At one point- the turning point of the end- I looked straight into his eyes and said- You are very sick and there is nothing more that we can do. Clarence, you are dying. After a brief silence, I asked him if he knew Jesus. He quickly said yes- he changed after that point. No more did he cry out just in pain- he cried out for Jesus. Begging Jesus to help him.
As the end came closer- several of us had gathered around the bed- his family still not there yet. He begin to say over and over again- God is with me.... God is with me.... I silently prayed for him- asking God to forgive any sins that he may have and to be with him and keep him comfortable. Over and Over.... " God is with me".
I felt God in his room- I felt- protected- like we were in a glass bubble- one that could never pop. It is hard to explain, unless you have been with someone dying. He was dying, but only to live in eternity with our savior.
Clarence- you are going to be spending Christmas with Jesus this year. The one who made it possible for all of us. There was a peace in that room at that moment. A peace a calmness. His nurse cradled his head in her arms. Minutes before he took his last breath, his family arrived. They were able to be with him for his last minutes on this earth. There was not a dry eye in the room.
We were in the room as his soul left his earthly body and rose to be with our king. His last words on this earth were... God is with me. I thought about the word- Immanuel- God with us. He came over 2000 years ago to be with us and he is keeping his promise- as Clarence said just minutes before taking his last breath- God is with me.
In His Service,
Amy
