The Dying Words Of Christians

Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.

Psalm 31:5 NIV

Death for the righteous is distinctly different from what it is for the unbeliever. It is not something to be feared, nor is it to be shunned. It is the shadowed threshold to the palace of God. No wonder Paul declared, “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (Philippians 1:23 NIV).

Most Christians have a triumphant spirit in the way they face death. Some of the statements made and recorded from deathbeds are absolutely thrilling:

“Our God is the God from whom cometh salvation. God is the Lord by whom we escape death.” —Martin Luther

“Live in Christ, die in Christ, and the flesh need not fear death.” —John Knox

“The best of all is, God is with us.” —John Wesley

“I have pain—but I have peace, I have peace.” —Richard Baxter

Augustus Toplady, the composer of “Rock of Ages,” was jubilant and triumphant as he lay dying at the age of thirty-eight. “I enjoy heaven already in my soul,” he declared. “My prayers are all converted into praises.”

When Joseph Everett was dying he said, “Glory! Glory! Glory!” and he continued exclaiming glory for over twenty-five minutes.

In my own life I have been privileged to know what some of the dying saints said before they went to heaven. My grandmother sat up in her bed, smiled, and said, “I see Jesus, and He has His hand outstretched to me. And there is Ben, and he has both of his eyes and both of his legs.” (Ben, my grandfather, had lost a leg and an eye at Gettysburg.)

There was an old Welsh grocer who lived near us, and my father was at his side when he was dying. He said, “Frank, can you hear that music? I’ve never heard such music in all my life—the orchestras, the choirs, angels singing”—and then he was gone.

Our Father and our God, I want to face death with joy and anticipation. Help my life to end with peace as I see the sweet face of Jesus welcoming me home to heaven. Make my song of death a jubilant Psalm of praise. Let those who are with me when I die see a reflection of Your peace and promised hope in my eyes. Through Jesus, my Savior. Amen.

Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).