I was wondering if Methuselah ever said, “ boy time flies”. My guess is that at the end of his life he probably uttered, “ the days are long and the years are short”. In case you’ve forgotten, Methuselah, the grandfather of Noah, died at the age of 969 …. the oldest of all human figures mentioned in the Bible.’ (ref. Gen. 5:27)

The end of life sometimes seems to me like a “cloud in the sky”… when feeling well and in good health…when there are no major threatening human events, then it’s a distant cloud, hardly noticeable. Yet when old age starts to peek around the corner and maybe health issues begin to accumulate, or human events get dicey, then the cloud grows and becomes more visible. No matter the fact that people we know of, or know personally, die every day…nevertheless, I haven’t died, and you haven’t died. It’s still the “BIG EVENT” that is approaching. Hmmmm….. what an uplifting BLOG…. thanks a lot Dave. 

You may remember the book “The Hiding Place” by Corrie ten Boom. She related the following story about facing death that she learned from her father. “Father sat down on the edge of the narrow bed. “Corrie,” he began gently, “when you and I go to Amsterdam-when do I give you your ticket?” I sniffed a few times, considering this. “Why, just before we get on the train.” “Exactly. And our wise Father in heaven knows when we’re going to need things, too. Don’t run out ahead of Him, Corrie. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need-just in time.” 

 It’s a beautiful story that relates an important truth. In death as in life, we are in the hands of God. He is the one that has sustained us thru our years, whether 20, 50, 90, or 969…and he is the one that will never leave us, even at death and into eternal life. 

So, let’s keep our eyes on our beloved Lord who loves us and will never leave us. He will sustain us in our trials and rejoice with us in our celebrations. And on that day that the “cloud” is right above us, he will hand us the ticket for our journey home. Like a good travel agent, he has taken care of all the details…. the packing, the tickets, the reservations at the heavenly hotel, the welcoming committee…nothing to worry about. Wow, that is very good news.