My grandmother is in her 90’s. She is my only grandparent I have alive. And truly her quality of life is not good. She is incredibly hard of hearing and macular-degeneration has left her almost completely blind. And now in the past few years, dementia has set in.
Her world has become very small.
My grandfather, her husband, passed away when I was about fifteen. That’s twenty years that she has been without her “honey”. And she talks about him constantly. Wishing she had him back. Wishing she could go back in time to when they were young once more.
But yet she clings to life. Why? She’s not happy. Quite the opposite.
I’ve come to realize she’s scared of death.
My grandmother has been a Catholic all her life. She used to pray the rosary every morning when she woke up and every night before bed. She never missed a Sunday mass and ensured we said ‘grace’ before eating dinner. (although I don’t remember if that was the case for breakfast or lunch)
But here’s the sad truth. I don’t think she has a personal relationship with God. And without that, it’s no wonder she’s scared of death. It’s no wonder she is wishing her honey back instead of joyfully anticipating the day she gets to meet God.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not looking to die. There are many, many things I want to experience yet on this side of heaven. But I’m not afraid of death. The knowledge that someday I will be in the presence of God fills me with a comfort and peace I can’t adequately put in words.
Getting to go to heaven, in and of itself, shouldn’t be the primary reason to believe in God and seek salvation. It’s the experience of being unconditionally loved by the Creator of the universe. Having a personal relationship with God is a joy beyond comprehension. And a joy that I want all people to experience.
The fact that our salvation means we get to have this intimate relationship with God for eternity is icing on the cake!
While my grandmother’s physical ailments limits me from reaching her to know the truth. I know that nothing is beyond God’s ability. And on the day that I meet Jesus, I pray that she is there, too.
Take the time to read the below bible scriptures and truly focus on what they are saying to you. Some passages may touch you differently than others. Writing down the verses in your own hand is helpful for some individuals. Possibly looking up the verses in your own bible may be beneficial. I use a NIV bible translation. Or reading them over and over to commit to memory. Whatever method works best for you to experience God’s words and feel closer to Him.
Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
John 14:1-4
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Revelations 14:13
Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”
2 Corinthians 5:6-8
Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
Romans 14:8
If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
Romans 8:38-39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 10:27-30
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.I and the Father are one.”
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
1 Peter 1:3-5
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
Philippians 3:20-21
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
I pray that these verses give you comfort, that in both life and death, if you believe in Jesus’ salvation for us, you will never be separated from Him.
God bless!
Melissa
My grandma just turned 88, but she’s ready to meet Jesus. I’ll pray for your grandma. I stopped being afraid of death when I had the revelation that it’s not about being good but how much God loves me.
Yes, my perception of death has completely changed the more I continue to grow in my relationship with Jesus. Thank you for your prayers. God bless!
It’s so hard to know your loved one may not accept Jesus before their death. While we can feel helpless, I know God hears our prayers, which brings me comfort. Also, I can say, very similar to you, that I’m not afraid of death, but I definitely desire to spend a full life on earth before I die!
There is definitely comfort in knowing God hears our prayers. And praying for a loved one’s salvation is not for selfish reasons but to further God’s kingdom. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. God bless!
I joyfully anticipate heaven where all our tears will be wiped away and there will be no more pain.
Amen! Me, too Susan. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts. God bless!
I love the passage from Philippians. Our citizenship is not here. I look forward to heaven…until then we have good works to do here on earth. (Ephesians 2:10)
I routinely remind myself of Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. I know that harvest is in heaven, but until then we are indeed to do good works. Thank you for stopping by Kathleen. God bless!
WOW ! I must start a death and dying pinterest board for this! Bless you, sweet beautiful heart. I relate to your joy at knowing the Lord… and love the scriptures you collected here.
Thank you Tammy! Knowing God and my future beyond this Earth provides me comfort, one less thing for me to worry about and one more thing to give to God! God bless!
I love these verses and this perspective. Death is just the next step in a relationship… where I get to see Him face to face… it will be filled with Joy.
Amen! It will be filled with joy indeed! MercyMe’s song “I can only image” comes to mind. Thank you for stopping by and commenting. God bless!
Nothing in life is assuring as having Christ as Lord and Saviour. Those who are not sure of their salvation would definitely be afraid of death, but for us who have Christ, we are not scared by death.
Absolutely. It saddens me and is a burden knowing how many of my family members and friends don’t know the love of Jesus. That’s our goal, right, to continue to keep trying to share His message. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. God bless!
It is hard to deal with death, especially as a nurse, when you know that the family is struggle yet known of them knew the Savior. It is hard to watch and all you want to do is shout out how much love he has for them in those last moments. I pray that your grandmother, finds the peace in Christ. Love those scriptures.
That would be very difficult Lindsey. I feel the same way when I am working with therapy clients who have endured horrendous trauma by the hand of a family member but they don’t know Jesus. I, too, want to scream out to them that God loves them even if others have not. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your experience. Thank you for caring for the physically ill and wounded. God bless!
Thank you. This has been a small topic of conversation in our family. Heaving peace in life and if we face death. Are we scared or are we brave? It’s hard when you have young children, but when we live a life pleasing to the Lord and we raise the children up in truth, we can walk without fear. Thank you for the verses.
Yes, death can be a hard topic for young children. Both of mine realized at young ages (about 3-4) that they are eventually going to die. We explained that mommy and daddy want to have them on earth as long as possible but since they know Jesus, we also will celebrate when they get to meet Him in person. It definitely gets easier for them to understand as they get older. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your experiences. God bless!
As I have grown in faith, my fear of death has decreased. The reunion with God is going to be wonderful! What an event we have to look forward to!
Oh my, what an event indeed! To be in the presence of God and get to converse with Him without the extra noise distracting and pulling us in the opposite direction will be amazing! Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts. God bless!
My Grandma is 85, she’s always been a believer but I was always worried that she didn’t have a personal relationship with God. My mother got her hooked on the Daily Audio Bible (because she can’t read so well anymore) and she’s changed so much! I am not worried about her anymore 🙂
Praise God! That’s so wonderful Leah! I have many family members who are nonbelievers or believers but they have not received Jesus. It weighs heavy on my heart. I’m so happy to hear that your Grandmother will get to be in the presence of Jesus someday! Thank you for stopping by and sharing your experience. God bless!
Wow! This is good stuff. I’m sharing this on my Facebook. Personal relationship! Without it, there’s nothing – no hope, no true happiness, no future!
Thank you Erin. You’re right. Without a personal relationship with Jesus we truly have nothing. Thank you for stopping by and sharing on FB! God bless!
It’s so interesting how the Lord speaks to us in very similar topics. I’ve been thinking recently about the man who was lowered into the room where Jesus was teaching. The first thing Jesus addresses is the heart. “Your sins are forgiven.” He is our great healer. He heals our souls… the more I grasp this, the more I am comforted in the thought of death. I have been healed, I can be calm in death. (I might write about this) Thank you for sharing a topic that most shy away from. I’m praying for the healing power of Jesus to take hold of your Grandmother’s heart. Even in the midst of confusion. <3
We do tend to be on the same page quite a bit! I think having been a therapist for almost ten years has allowed me to feel comfortable discussing most any topic. So many people have trusted me with their heart on tremendously personal topics that I see how important some of these more uncomfortable issues are to discuss. Thank you for your prayers for my Grandmother. God bless!
Melissa, I pray that your grandma will find that relationship that she needs with Jesus so He can take away her fear of death.
What a beautiful collection of comforting verses you have amassed here all in one spot!
Thank you for sharing this.
Thank you for your prayer Ruth and for stopping by to read and comment. God bless!