June 7, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

“And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom.” (Luke 16:22)

Have you ever been present when someone died?

I am a nurse. Many times I have cared for people who were near death. I have witnessed death. Through the years I became comfortable being at the bedside of a dying person. We struggle to do all we can to make people live as long as possible. If there are do-not-resuscitate directives on the chart, we do all within our power to provide comfort and also to provide treatment for the person with the hopes of helping heal whatever illness the person has. When the person leaves his body behind, the body is suddenly empty. No one is there. It is a great irony though that I have felt as though the room of a dead person was inhabited with people I could not see!

What I know from personal experience is that an angel carries the spirit leaving the body. What I know from the Highest Authority is that an angel (or some angels) come to carry the person away. (Luke 16:22) I've heard a description of an angel from a dying man's lips. My friend Paul Elliott, a retired physician, had a similar experience. These stories are included on this day in DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU?

The following story about the presence of an angel is one I've shared before:

My husband, Robert Cheatham, (Bobby) spent five years unable to move his body from his chest down. He suffered from a variant of a strange and rare neurological disease, called Guillain Barré Syndrome. With the passage of time, he became fatigued from years of pain in his legs and discouraged from failing to regain his ability to move. In 2001, he experienced a respiratory arrest, and on the morning of September 11, he received a filter to trap blood clots that were collecting in his lungs. From that time on, he wanted to go home to be with his father, who had died the previous year. As the days passed, he became detached. At night during his sleep, he talked about going home to heaven.

I’ll not forget the night Bobby died. He was lying in the hospital, and he was not to be resuscitated. It was about 4:00 a.m. Knowing that his time was short, I had tried to stay awake that night, but I did not succeed. Shortly after 4:00, I was awakened as I realized a wind was whirling in the room near the window, but the window was closed and locked that January night. I felt and heard the wind, which had brought me out of deep sleep. There was a rustling noise. I believe I heard the sound of wings!

For the first time in years, I realized that Bobby was not in pain. His handsome face was at peace. There was no labored breathing because...he was not breathing. I kissed his cheek, which was not yet cold, and I realized he was no longer there. I did not, however, feel alone in the room. There was a sense of serenity and comfort.

There is no way I could ever doubt that God sends His angels to watch over us.


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