Safe at last

Dear friends, thank you for your prayers. It is 10 pm Mountain time. A little over a half hour ago my dear Dad went to heaven. He slipped quietly away. With the hiss of the oxygen going I didn’t even notice his passing.

My dad was a faithful Christian man. He led me to the Lord many years ago. I thank God for him. He has been the single greatest influence on my life. I’ll write more later.

Praise God for redemption, for Jesus Christ, and for the Sweet Comforter. We sorrow not as those who have no hope.

Maranatha! Don Johnson, Jer 33.3

Comments

  1. JS Allen says

    Will be praying for you and your family, Don. Praise God, indeed! But I know that the pain of losing a loved one can last a long time.

  2. Blessings on you and yours, Don. We are asking God to show Himself strong on your behalf and to give you the comfort only He can give.

    I appreciate your kind words about your father.

    tjp

  3. May the Lord bring you comfort through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ as you remember the promises of God of our blessed hope, life eternal in the presence of God.

    And as you remember and give thanks for this gift from God that is your father, may you look through these qualities you loved so much, to see our great God, the Heavenly Father.

    God be with you, Don.

  4. Thank the Lord for faithful fathers.

  5. Brian Ernsberger says

    Praying for you as you grieve the loss of your dad here on earth and rejoice in the knowledge that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord and knowing that a reunion awaits in the sweet by and by.

  6. Jonathan Hunt says

    God bless you all, brother Don. Praying that the Lord will comfort, strengthen and enable you.

  7. Don,
    Praise God for His wonderful grace to us in saving our parents. There is real joy in their passing into glory, and an incentive for us to be faithful for our children’s sake.
    Bud

  8. Don,

    It’s probably been close to 2 years now when I got news that my Mom’s surgery to remove a small lump in her abdomen did not go well and that her life was hanging in the balances. I flew out to California not knowing if she would still be alive when I got there. On the plane I did a great deal of crying and praying. The Lord gave me great peace, though, because I knew my mom was a committed believer who had given herself to the service of her Lord and the well-being of her family. By the time my plane landed, I was giving thanks to God for such a good mother and the many sweet memories that He brought to mind of our life together. Growing up, I remember never wanting my parents to die. I always wondered what it would be like when that day finally came. God does give strength and peace, as I’m sure you are experiencing now. Thankfully, my Mom lived for several more months, allowing my whole family to gather together one more time with her before she died. It was precious time that I will always be grateful for. I found my Mom’s home going to be sad and happy at the same time — sad for our loss but happy for God’s grace that was so evident in her life.
    Anyway, just wanted to say that I am sad for your loss but glad for the testimony of your Dad. We will be praying for you and Duncan and the rest of the family.

    Andy

    • Thank you to all for the prayers and sympathy. Today has been very different. My mom said to me, “I still can’t quite believe it.” She is going to have the most adjustments of us all. We also have some unsaved relatives coming to the funeral, we hope. My brother Paul is going to preach and I’ll do a eulogy. They get double doses of the gospel that way, and there are other preachers in the family too…

      I am working on a longer post, my dad’s story. It’s good for me, don’t know if it will interest any of you!

      Maranatha!
      Don Johnson
      Jer 33.3

  9. Don,

    Praying for you and your family as you experience this time of loss. Knowing that your dad was saved provides some comfort, but I know from when my dad died that the loss is nevertheless powerful and profound. May God give you and your family great grace and may the Lord be glorified through the funeral and through the events of the coming days.

    In Christ, your friend,

    Pastor Frank Sansone

  10. Roger Carlson says

    As someone who lost both of his parents before he was 30, I can totally understand what you are going through. Will be in prayer – specifically for the Rapture so all believers can be reuinted in Heaven!

  11. d4v34x says

    Don,

    My heartfelt sympathies. Praise the Lord for your dad’s testimony of a life lived by faith.

    Let us “reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us”, which glory your dad now experiences.

  12. Sam Hendrickson says

    Dear Don,
    our prayers are for you and your family.

    • Thanks, Sam, and all.

      More comments on the post where I give my tribute to my dad, “poor boy off the farm”.

      Maranatha!
      Don Johnson
      Jer 33.3