FAMILY PRAYERS
BY John MacDuff, 1885
Prayer at the bedside of a dying believer
Ever blessed God, we rejoice to know that our times are
in Your hands. The Lord gives us our lives--the Lord has a sovereign right
to take them away. Give us grace to say, 'Blessed be the name of the Lord!'
Do look down in great mercy on Your servant, whom You are about to take to
Yourself. Let him know, that, leaning on Jesus, the sting is plucked away
from death, and the grave is robbed of its victory. Oh, ever-living
Redeemer, great "Abolisher of Death," who has brought life and immortality
to light by the Gospel--smooth his dying pillow—let Your voice be heard,
saying, "Fear not, it is I; be not afraid!" Grant relief from suffering.
Give him a peaceful entrance into glory; may Your angels even now be waiting
to waft him to Your presence. May he know that You are faithful who has
promised, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world!"
Forgive, oh, forgive all his past sins. May this be the
one glorious truth to which his soul clings in a dying hour, "The blood of
Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses from all sin." Lord, may Your own blessed
soul-sustaining peace be his. In a few more moments, he will wake up in
heaven--sorrow and sighing shall have fled away forever. May he feel that to
depart and to be with Christ is indeed far better. Hear us, good Lord, for
Jesus' sake. Amen.
"Now this is what the Lord says—the One who created you,
Jacob, and the One who formed you, Israel—Do not fear, for I have redeemed
you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. I will be with you when
you pass through the waters, and [when you pass] through the rivers, they
will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the
fire, and the flame will not burn you. For I the Lord your God, the Holy One
of Israel, and your Savior!" Isaiah 43:1-3
"In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I
would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. If I go
away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to
Myself, so that where I am you may be also." John 14:2-3
"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle
were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens."
"Therefore we do not give up; even though our outer
person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For
our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely
incomparable eternal weight of glory. So we do not focus on what is seen,
but on what is unseen; for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is
eternal. For we know that if our earthly house, a tent, is destroyed, we
have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the
heavens." 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:1
Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, "Who are
these who are clothed in white? Where do they come from?" And I said to him,
"Sir, you are the one who knows." Then he said to me, "These are the ones
coming out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes in the blood of
the Lamb and made them white. That is why they are standing in front of the
throne of God, serving him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on
the throne will live among them and shelter them. They will never again be
hungry or thirsty, and they will be fully protected from the scorching
noontime heat. For the Lamb who stands in front of the throne will be their
Shepherd. He will lead them to the springs of life-giving water. And God
will wipe away all their tears." Revelation 7:13-17
"I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying--Look, the
home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will
be his people. God himself will be with them. He will remove all of their
sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For
the old world and its evils are gone forever." Revelation 21:3-4