I hadn’t given this little prayer any thought since our youngest child had grown out of saying prayers with his parents, but it popped into my mind one morning, why I don’t know. This little prayer was taught to most of us when we were young. It reminded me of something I had learned long ago but had mostly forgotten. Perhaps someone you know could use this reminder.
“Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
If I should die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take.”
On recalling this prayer, it occurred to me that it taught us that we do have souls; that our souls have eternal life. Else why ask “I pray the Lord my soul to take.” As adults some of us have forgotten that key truth. We may come to believe that when we die, that is all there is. To believe that is a horrible lie about our eternal life. Reading the Bible is a revealing experience and if done to seriously seek the truth, we cannot but conclude that after we die, our souls will live on. We will be aware of our past life. We will be headed for either Heaven with all its glory that is far better than our life on earth, or we will be consigned to hell with its eternity of torture.
The Bible tells us that we need to make this choice before we die! Only by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior will we go to Heaven. Just leading “good lives” will not do it for us. This is stated in many places in the Bible. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to wait and take a chance that “someday” I will decide on Christ. That someday may never come. No one can say with absolute certainty that they will even be alive tomorrow, let alone someday. People die every day who didn’t expect that they would, by accident or sudden illness.
Further, as those who have committed to Christ know, there is no downside to doing this. We don’t have to give up any normal enjoyment if it is morally acceptable. We don’t even have to go to church although doing so enhances our Christian experience. We just have to acknowledge to Jesus that we have sinned, and every person on earth is a sinner, confess our sins and ask Jesus Christ for forgiveness. Then as we live with Him as part of our life, we will begin to find that our new life is a great joy, way beyond anything experienced before.
Putting our trust in the Lord gives great relief. The Holy Spirit lives in everyone and His help is available just for the asking. I was amazed when I started calling on Him for everyday help. I could not have imagined the thrill when I began to realize that He was there all the time and I only had to ask for help. I also found that reading the Bible is thrilling, not boring as I had expected. Each day I find new thoughts to make life more useful and enjoyable.
There is absolutely no downside to committing to Jesus Christ, and the upside is wonderful beyond our ability to describe. Just experience it!
If you think I can help in any way with information or in telling you what I know to be true and useful, I will be glad to try my humble best. I am glad to acknowledge that I am only a Christian in process, not any better than anyone else. Just call or send an email. April 21, 2006