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He Will Know

During my father’s last illness, while he was dying of cancer, his four children were with him day and night. We all had the chance to talk over many issues with Dad and let him know how much we loved him. We even let Dad know that we were releasing him and giving him permission to go home to be with the Lord. We did not want him to linger around in pain any longer than was necessary.

It was my deepest desire to physically be there with Dad when he went home to be with the Lord. I knew that he had a very short time to live and I wanted to stay close to him until the end. I also knew, however, that I could not cancel my scheduled speaking engagements planned for each weekend. These conferences are booked months or even years in advance. The publicity and work done by the hosting group is considerable.

On Thursday evening, as I was preparing for my flight the next morning, I was crying and having a very difficult time accepting the fact that I could not stay. My sweet twin sister, Judy, who has such deep spiritual insight, came and started weeping with me. As we held each other and cried, Judy gently said, “It is okay, Joanne. Dad would want you to go, as you will be talking about Jesus. If Dad dies while you are out speaking, he will know what is happening. He will know about all the women who come to accept Jesus. He will know. He will see the angels rejoicing in heaven and he will be rejoicing with them. Do not worry, Joanne. He will know.”

Judy’s words made my parting from Dad more bearable. She was right; Dad would have wanted me to go. I went to the conference and spoke about how Jesus died for us so that we can be forgiven of our sins and made whole. Many women made a decision for Christ. I was so excited to rush back to Dad’s side to tell him all about it, but I never got the chance. The angels beat me to it. My Dad died that weekend – but he knew. He knew.

“…A woman has ten valuable silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and look in every corner of the house and sweep every nook and cranny until she finds it? And then won’t she call in her friends and neighbors to rejoice with her? In the same way there is joy in the presence of the angels of God when one sinner repents.” Luke 15:8-10 TLB