It was Easter Sunday morning around 5 am. I was in the medical ward of the hospital attending to the spiritual needs of my mother’s brother.

He only spoke in a whisper acknowledging I was there. Other wise words were very few as he slowly lost the fight with the dreaded disease.

I wiped his forehead and quoted Martha in John 11:28 where she said to her sister, “The Master is here and is calling for you.”

My uncle nodded his head and a slow smile crept over his face. Then I said, “Uncle Fred you are one day nearer home.” He agreed and closed his eyes.

A few moments later we called for the nurse to come. She came and after checking for signs of life agreed that Uncle Fred had indeed stepped into the eternal presence of the Saviour.

Later that morning I preached as never before the grand truths of our great hope in Christ from today’s verse. Somehow the Lord provided special grace as I shared the news that Christ was indeed risen from the dead and His resurrection guarantees that God’s power that raised Christ shall raise us as well.

For the Christian facing one more day of suffering—the truth is that you are one day nearer home. How encouraging this truth is that Christ has died and been raised again for sinners such as we are.

Today may you find much encouragement in the knowledge that the “real world” is drawing ever closer to you and soon enough this broken, shattered world will be forever forgotten as the eternal wonders of glory fill us with rapture and awe in the presence of our beloved Saviour.

“Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him” Revelation 1:7 NIV