God does things in so many ways to testify that he is a living God. He was God to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and to those whom God has revealed himself throughout the ages. Today, he is still speaking to people far and near.

On one occasion, I witnessed a strange happening that terrified but nevertheless heightened my faith. One Sunday morning, I was called to the hospital during the church service. Our pastors were in a conference out-station and as a church elder, I was asked to hurry to the hospital. The doctor had summoned the pastors and the children of the sick to come at once because the sick person was dying. In the commotion, I was ferried to the hospital to pray for the dying lady.

At the hospital, the doctor was trying to recuperate the old lady with CPR but to no avail. The doctor then proclaimed her death. The family requested that I prayed for her soul before sending her off to the mortuary. I never had any experience praying for this kind of situation though I had held a dying person, softly talking to reassure her, stroking her chest gently until her last breath. This was something new and I didn’t know what to say.

I prayed silently for wisdom because the whole family was surrounding the hospital bed. And there were onlookers and other patients. As the elderly was my close friend and relative, I went to her and took her hands. That was what I heard from the radio about respecting the dying person: “Treat the person with dignity”.

bowed low and whispered to her. “Aunty, I want to pray for you as you are departing to see the Lord.” So I started praying. Her heart beat suddenly started to resume again on the monitor making the beating sound. Everyone was surprised and I was even more startled! Holding her hands I asked God for forgiveness and cleansing and assurance that God has promised all believers to return to Him. I rattled on despite the startling occurrence. When I finished, I called her again, “Aunty, please go in peace to the Lord in heaven.” The moment I said this, she puffed her last loud breath straight onto my face and died.

In all honesty, I was horrified. That smell was terribly bad. That was when I understood what the Bible said about the breath God had blown into his creation, Adam, to make him a living person. When humans died, they had to return that last breath.

I was sick for many months, worried but I was doing a lot of reflecting. I was no-body but God listened to my humble prayer to testify that He favoured his children. I believed God had received her soul into heaven as she was so peaceful and calm at death. My faith in God once again was stronger even though I was scared and frightened to face death. Death can be a blessing to the sick and weary. When we saw how many tubes were inserted into her throat and nose, we wanted her to stop suffering. Going home to God is a relief to those who are fragile and weak. Heaven is a better place to retire. Then again it is up to God to determine when to go to be with Him.

Please believe that we have souls and they live in our bodies. When we are alive, we live together and part when the bodies perish. So, be sure where your soul is going after that last breath!

Chris of Tawau
KK, Sabah