Prose - In Her Time of Dying
As you suffer
We suffer with you
Yet you smile
And say
“The only part of me that hurts
Is the part that won’t let go
The part that cannot say goodbye
The rest of me
Is with God
That’s how I can bear the pain
You cannot imagine my strength
Because nothing in you
Will let go of me
And I love you for that
But you need to let go
Then you will feel my strength
And my peace”
And so
It is time to let you go
Heaven needs you now
Grace has opened her arms
Jesus remembers his vow
We witnessed in you
What we heard from preachers
Because God’s spirit moves
In the life of holy seekers
Even in the throes of death
When all hope seemed lost
What you saw before you
Was the promise of the cross
And in the agony of fear
Where grief turns hearts to stone
You softened our hatred of fate
Because we knew you weren’t alone
In the pureness of those who seek mercy
We felt the light of heaven’s judgment
Leading you to the promised land
Let us not delay this final triumph
To live as preparation for death
And yet begging for one more day
Is no longer in our hearts
It is time to make your way
“You will be with me in paradise”
Jesus said as he ignored the nails
Let the spirit blow
And fill your holy sails
You taught us how to live
In your time of suffering
Never again shall we want
Because we heard faith’s bells ring
She was the strong one
But now they look to you
They need a Father's strength
And your love too
You carried the torches
Of life and death
And your children could see
Illuminated by love’s breadth
In the midst of hope
You reached for faith
As the answers you sought
Are hidden in God’s grace
The question of the moment
“Will she be resurrected?”
Will be answered by God
When all our prayers are collected
He will read them one by one
As each witness testifies
And he will know of her
Because holy truth never lies
Overwhelmed by love
And the belief in his word
The test of life was accepted
And his heart was stirred
A cool breeze from the spirit
A smile from the son
The Lord has passed his judgment
The angels will welcome her home
