I was born by the river, in a little tent
And just like that river, I’ve been running ever since
It’s been a long, long time coming, but I know
A change gone come, Oh yes it will
It’s been too hard living, but I’m afraid to die
I don’t know what’s up there, beyond the sky
It’s been a long, long time coming, but I know
A change gone come, Oh yes it will
Death is something that many of us don’t want to talk about. We are afraid of it. We don’t understand it. It is a mystery to us.
Sometimes we feel guilty and even blame ourselves when someone that we love dies. We say things like, “If only I would have been there.” Or, “Maybe if I would have been a better son or daughter; a better brother or sister; a better father or a better mother.”
There was once told the story of a young man that lived in New York City. One day, he went to the market for his aging mother. While he was there, he noticed a strange looking man staring at him and following him around the store. When he looked closer, he realized that the strange man was actually the angel of death.
It frightened him so badly that he ran out of the store, leaving all of his groceries behind. When he got home, he told his mother what had happened. She immediately took him to the airport and put him on a flight to Los Angeles. Then she went to the market and confronted the death angel.
She asked him why he was following her son around the store and scaring him. The death angel said, “I’m sorry Ma’am. I didn’t mean to frighten him. I was just surprised to see him here in New York. You see, I have an appointment with him tonight in Los Angeles.”
As mysterious as death is, one thing is always certain. We all have an appointment with its angel. It doesn’t matter whether you are young, old, black, white, pretty, ugly, short, tall, big, small, behind prison walls or walking the streets. One day, death is going to come knocking at your door. The only question is; will you be ready?
To some of you, this might sound like a eulogy or a dramatic sermon you might hear at a funeral. In a sense, it is.
You may not believe this, but I see dead people. Let me explain.
I once saw a movie called “The Sixth Sense”. In this movie, Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist, is shot and wounded by a former patient.
Six months later, he finds himself providing much needed therapy for a peculiar eight –year old boy named Cole. During the course of the movie, Cole reveals that he has an unbelievable secret; He sees dead people.
He said, “I see dead people. They are walking around like regular people. They only see what they want to see.” Then he said something that messed me up. He said, “They don’t know they are dead.”
By the end of the movie, Dr. Crowe learns that he himself is also dead; fatally wounded by his former patient.
I want to tell you something. I have a secret too. I’m kind of like Cole. I see dead people. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not talking about the kind of dead people that Cole saw in the movie. I don’t see ghosts. I see people who are dead in their sins. I see people who are lost and on their way to hell. I see people who are separated from The Almighty God. I see dead people.
When I’m driving down the street, I see dead people. When I’m walking through the mall, I see dead people. When I’m in the grocery store, I see dead people. When I’m at the post office, I see dead people. In the jails and in the prisons, I see dead people. In the schools and in the playgrounds, I see dead people. Everywhere I go, I see dead people
Dead people are everywhere. They are walking around like regular people. They only see what they want to see. They don’t know that they are dead. Some of them are reading this book right now and not only are they dead, but they are wandering around in a world of hopelessness.
The Prophet Ezekiel also saw dead people. These people had been dead for a very long time. He described it in the 37th chapter of his book. He said, “The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones.”
Where is this valley that the LORD led Ezekiel too? The Bible doesn’t say, but today I believe it could be located on any street corner, in any community, be in any school, and in any city. It could even be located in the multitudes of prisons and jails located around the country. The valley could be anywhere for all of these places contain dead, dry bones.
In verse two, he said, “There were very many in this open valley, and lo, they were very dry.” They had been cast away and long since forgotten about.
But in verse three, God asked the prophet an interesting question. He said, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I don’t know if you know this or not, but whenever God asks a question, He already knows the answer. That’s why he said to Ezekiel, “Prophesy upon these bones. Preach to these dead people. Say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.”
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). He said, “I come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
“Thus saith the LORD God unto these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you and you shall live” (Ezekiel 37:5).
If you are one of the walking dead, you can have life. All you have to do is call on the Lord and repent of your sins. It doesn’t matter where you are, He will hear you. Remember, He’s only a prayer away.
He's Only A Prayer Away: Examples Of Praying Until Your Breakthrough
In stores Sept 1st, 2010 by Rev. Burton Barr Jr.
Available at Barnes & Noble, barnesandnoble.com and Amazon.com
Love you all,
Rev. Burton Barr Jr. (Author of "He's Only A Prayer Away", "The Hoodlum Preacher" and "Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over") & Cedric Mixon
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