The Promise

My grandfather passed away on Easter Sunday, April 12, 1998 at 5:30 PM. He went quietly in his sleep at the hospital. The morning before, a family member had tried to wake him for breakfast, but he could not be awakened. He was taken by ambulance to the local hospital where he lay without waking until the Lord called him home. As I contemplated these events that evening so many years ago, I drew strength from knowing that gran' daddy was in heaven with Grandma Grace, his first son, Ray, who died from Scarlet Fever at a very early age, and countless other friends and relatives that had preceded him to glory. And, of course, I knew he was in the very presence of our Redeemer, Jesus. Then I remembered it was Easter Sunday, Resurrection Sunday! And I thought about the words of Jesus in John 11:25-26, “I am the resurrection, and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” I wrote the following poem that night in remembrance of gran' daddy, and also to honor and to glorify Jesus for the promise we have if we have placed our trust and faith in Him. I pray this poem will bless you.

The Promise

There was a man, who loved the Lord,

and the Lord loved him.

The man would talk about the Lord and his mercy, and how

the Lord had forgiven the man of all his sins.

The man lived to a ripe old age and never forgot the Lord

One day, as the man was in his prayers, he asked the Lord,

Lord, when will you call me home?

For my body is tired, and my spirit weak,

and I am lonely for my wife and son who worship at your feet.

And I wish so much to see your sweet face,

and to feel your warm embrace.

But the Lord would only say,

soon will be your Resurrection Day

A season passed and one day as the man was in his prayers,

he asked the Lord,

Lord, when will you call me home?

For my body is tired, and my spirit weak,

and I am lonely for my wife and son who worship at your feet.

And I wish so much to see your sweet face,

and to feel your warm embrace.

But the Lord would only say,

soon will be your Resurrection Day.

Another season came and went by,

with all the holidays like the Fourth of July,

Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years too.

And the man wondered if the Lord had

forgotten what He had promised to do.

So the man asked the Lord,

Lord, when will you call me home?

For my body is tired, and my spirit weak,

and I am lonely for my wife and son who worship at your feet.

And I wish so much to see your sweet face,

and to feel your warm embrace.

But the Lord would only say,

soon will be your Resurrection Day.

Another season moved on by,

and Holy week soon arrived.

The man began to feel more tired and weak than ever before.

So he asked the Lord,

Lord, my Lord, how much more?

The Lord looked down on the man, His child, whom He loved,

and made him fall into a Merciful sleep,

because he had suffered enough.

The Lord didn't want him in any more pain,

so sleep he did until the Lord called his name.

The man awoke from his sleep.

His pain was gone, his tiredness too!

To his amazement, he felt brand new!

He looked around, and all was bright.

He heard choruses of angels singing.

Nothing had ever felt so right.

Then he saw his wife and son,

arms outreached, the victory won!

He moved toward them, and they all shared a long hug.

Then a voice called his name, and on his shoulder,

he felt a gentle tug.

So sweet was the voice, he knew who it had to be.

It was Jesus, his Friend, his Savior, and his Redeemer.

The man was finally free!

All dressed in white linen and as bright as the sun,

Yes, the victory that he put his faith in had truly been won.

The man had to know,

Lord, my Lord, why did you keep me waiting so?

And the Lord, filled with love and compassion for his child

answered and spoke.

My child, my child, I love you so,

that I waited for a special day to call you home.

You see, today is not just any day of the year,

but today is the day that my people around the world love to hear!

It is celebrated from east to west,

in voices singing their loudest and best.

From valley low the mountain high,

Angels proclaim and men cry.

He is raised from the dead!

He walked out of the grave!

It is finished He had said,

there are many to save.

You see my child, I could have

called you home at anytime.

But I wanted others to witness

my mercy in the life of a child of mine.

For them to only see,

that if they will simply believe in me,

they too can share in this very special day.

The day called on Earth, Resurrection Sunday.

Copyright 1998. All rights reserved.

Bob's Bio:

Bob Kemp is an ordained Deacon, helps to teach two Sunday School classes, and serves on two additional committees at his church. He has been heavily involved in ministry since he accepted Christ as his personal Savior in 1992. He has served as a Youth Pastor, and also pastored young men at a correctional facility for juvenile offenders, where he led many to Christ. Bob enjoys reading, writing, and sharing the gospel with others. He has written a Christian book for young readers and hopes to someday see it published and used as a tool to reach children with the love and good news of Jesus Christ. He is married to a lady he calls his love gift from God, has a grown son, and two grown step-sons. He works at Praise Ministries in Lindale , Texas . Your comments are greatly appreciated. You can contact Bob Kemp directly with your feedback and/or comments at bob.kemp@att.net . You may also leave your comments and/or feedback at feedback@heartbeatthemagazine.com .