Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done on Earth as it is in Heaven!

Andrew, my 28-year-old son died suddenly 11 days ago. It took me about two days to start breathing again after we received the calls, first from his fiancé saying they were asking for medical history (obviously, he was unconscious) and then from the hospital administrator and doctor telling us they had done all they could do. They couldn’t even tell me that he had died… just that they had done all that they could do. I asked them, “Are you telling me he didn’t make it?” The doctor said, “Yes.” I don’t think she even said, “I’m sorry.” That would admit guilt should we decide to sue the hospital and doctor for negligence. “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.” Matthew 24:12

I could hear his fiancé sobbing in the background. We were 800 miles away, yet I longed to hug her and grieve with her. They assured us a chaplain was with her and we made a call to a family member living in the area to go be with her as well. They also assured us her parents were on the way there to be with her.

There is no way one can prepare the mind to accept this kind of information. We walked in circles not knowing what to do… trying to breathe… trying not to faint… Then I felt it... ministering angels. A song entered my mind… “Blessed be the name of the Lord… You give and take away… Still I will choose to say… Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Yes, Andrew was a gift from the Lord. We knew that when he was conceived. We dedicated him to the Lord when he was an infant. We taught him all about the Lord and taught him to read his Bible and follow Jesus. We released him to the Lord as an adult to serve where God called him… even if that was very dangerous. God and I had many talks about that. We didn’t expect his heart to just stop. That kind of death never entered our minds. Yet, he is the Lord’s… He always was and will continue to be.

Once we were past the initial shock, we began to weep for our loss, yet rejoice that Andrew was with Jesus. I guess God wanted Andrew’s great smile and cheerfulness in heaven. I imagine he is singing “Hallelujah” at the top of his lungs – in full harmony of course. He immediately cast his many crowns at Jesus’ feet and said, “I am your servant… do with me as you please.” Luke 1:38 paraphrased That was his life verse. Andrew took risks to love and serve others – risks that most of us would not take. Yet it was not those risks that took him from us.

Somehow, I believe that even in his leaving us, Andrew has asked many angels to surround those he loves here on earth. With him in heaven, it seems that heaven isn’t so far away… the Spiritual realm is almost palpable. God’s kingdom is here on earth as it is in heaven. When we choose to be part of his kingdom here, the only thing that separates us from his heavenly kingdom is death of our mortal bodies.

Death is not what God wanted for us… it is what Eve chose… it is what we choose every time we go our way instead of God’s way… it is what we choose every time we act on our knowledge rather than God’s wisdom. Jesus wept over death. He wept when Lazarus died. He had compassion and raised the dead son of a widow as the funeral procession passed by. God is a God of life. He invites us to choose life. “See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess… Now choose life so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life.” Deuteronomy 30:15-20

And so, I have lived through my worst fear – losing a family member – and yet, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread.” Matthew 6:10-11 And each day, he gives us the manna we need, the grace we need, and the breath we need for this world.

We grieve… but not as the world grieves. We have hope and knowledge of eternity with Jesus in heaven. And we look forward to the day we walk through heaven’s gates and Andrew will be standing with Jesus and he will flash that great smile and give us a hug and say with Jesus, “Welcome home!” I can hardly wait… But God still has things for me to do on this earth and I will say with Mary, “I am the Lord’s servant…”