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The Silent Harvest
by Francis Frangipane
A
few years ago, I had a dream in which I
found myself inside the mind of a dying
man. The man had been in a coma for some
time; his family had been praying, but they
did not know whether or not he had accepted
Christ. All they were sure of is that, throughout
his life, he had resisted their efforts
to lead him to Christ.
In
the dream, I became so acutely aware of
the man's state of mind that his thoughts,
feelings and struggles almost seemed my
own. Although his eyes were nearly closed
and his vision clouded, he could see his
loved ones at his bedside. I watched as
he tried to reach toward his family, but
outwardly his arm never lifted. Perceiving
his thoughts, I heard him speak their names,
but no sound whispered through his lips.
A loved one holding his hand asked, "If
you hear me, squeeze." He heard and pressed
his fingers against hers, but no movement
was seen; his hand clearly remained limp.
He was conscious, he could hear their prayers,
he felt the warmth of their kisses on his
face, but was perfectly incapable of responding.
The
pride and isolation that had, throughout
his life, stood guard over his heart were
gone. A physical catastrophe had overtaken
him. Death approached, and he knew he was
unprepared for eternity. Submerged beneath
his placid exterior, a war had raged for
his soul, which the Lord won. Subdued by
the relentlessness of God's love, he was
finally at peace. It was during his time
in the hospital that he had silently prayed
and accepted Christ as his Savior. I was
watching his last effort to tell them as
life ebbed out of his body.
Suddenly,
monitoring alarms ripped through the muffled
silence of the room. His heart beat one
last time and I found myself looking down
at the body of a man who had just died.
The room was buzzing with nurses, while
his family huddled in a corner, grieving.
The idea of their loved one dying without
receiving Christ was more devastating than
the reality of death itself. I stirred and
then woke. Yet, just as I left the dream,
the Lord spoke to my heart,
"Tell
them he's with Me."
God
is Good
Although some time has passed since I first
had this dream, I am increasingly aware
that many of God's people carry a deep abiding
heartache concerning the death of an unsaved
loved one. Obviously, this dream does not
apply to all, but there are some for whom
this experience is divinely directed. Thus,
I submit this to you in a general sense,
because the Holy Spirit has assured me He
will bear witness to your heart.
I
have also felt an urgency to pass this dream
to you. I am convinced that the Lord has
an important work for you. However, the
enemy has used this unresolved loss to sow
doubt into your soul. Not only are you troubled
about your deceased loved one, but you have
doubts about God's love as well as the power
of prayer. As a result, your confidence
in God has diminished. Yet, it is precisely
at this time that you need to stand without
doubt for other members of your family.
Beloved,
though there are many questions about the
mysteries of life, we must not let the unknown
obscure the face of the known. God is good.
We know God loves us because He sent His
Son to die for our sins. Indeed, Jesus said,
"He who has seen Me has seen the Father"
(John 14:9). When we look at Christ, we
see God, and we know that God cares and
He is good.
Additionally,
some of us have lost loved ones in sudden
tragedies, where they seemingly had no time
to repent or turn to God. Let me remind
you of those who have faced near-death experiences
and tell of seeing their "life flash before
[their] eyes." They say that the progressive
movement of time almost stopped. I believe
that, even in what seemed like a "sudden"
death, time itself slowed to a crawl. There
apparently was enough time in this altered
state to see and ponder one's life - and
to make a decision or even call upon the
name of the Lord.
In
spite of what we do not know about the mysteries
of life, one thing remains eternally true:
God is our loving Father. He does not desire
that any man perish and He will fight to
save us, even to the moment of our death.
Let us, therefore, cast our burdens upon
the Lord, for He genuinely cares for us.
And let us again run with endurance the
race set before us, for He has promised,
"the people who were sitting in darkness
saw a great light, and those who were sitting
in the . . . shadow of death, upon them
a light dawned" (Matt. 4:16).
Lord
Jesus, thank You for dying for my sins.
Lord, there are many issues I do not know,
but I do know that You are good. Those things
I do not understand, I give to You. I trust
You with my life and I put in Your hands
the care of those I love.
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Francis
serves as senior minister of River of Life
Ministries in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 
