As Christians, can we even define the word “tact”, much less practice it? As I’ve mentioned I am studying Daniel through the Beth Moore study and last night I spent a lot of time on the verse where Daniel approached Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, with wisdom and tact (Daniel 2:14). As Christians, it is our responsibility to uphold that name, “Christian”, with much regard.

How many times do we get frustrated with the clueless cashier in Wal-Mart, the waitress who’s more interested in “fellowshiping” than she is with refilling your tea, the driver who pulls out in front of you only to proceed to slow to 10-15 mph under the speed limit, the customer service rep on the other end of the phone who speaks any language but your own, you get the idea! I am preaching to myself here! We are representing Christ. We should have more patience, more tact, more wisdom, more understanding, more love for these individuals than anyone. But instead, quite often we “Christians” have less tolerance than the chiefest of sinners who has never even met Christ. Ouch!

Practice tact today. Here’s the definition, in case you, like me have not used it in so long you forgot what it means! Tact: a keen sense of what to do or say in order to maintain good relations with others or avoid offense. That’s straight from Webster himself!

Just last week I was in a local sandwich shop, of course in a hurry, is there any other pace? How many times did I have to tell that poor little clueless obviously first-day-on-the-job girl that I did not want quacamole (see, I can’t even spell it! Why would I eat it?) on my Cabo Chicken sandwich? I inhaled deeply and just before sighing loudly in frustration, the cashier that was also waiting on the poor child to get my sandwich right, says to me “Your hair is beautiful. I love the color and the cut.” … …. ….

The best I could tell she was checking me out pretty good. I was immediately reminded by the whisper of the Holy Spirit that I am representing not only Hannah’s Hope Ministries wherever I am, whatever I’m doing, but Christ - which is Hannah’s Hope! This young lady had been staring at me and probably wondering what my reaction to the guacamole queen was going to be. I quickly rebounded from my frustrations and took the time to smile at the cashier and carry on a conversation with her about my hair and what color the hi-lites are. She wasn’t going to buy a story that this is my natural color, considering the three different tones. So I didn’t even go there! Then the guacamole child walked over and handed me my sandwich and apologized for the delay. I smiled and told her it was no problem, thanked both of them, told them to have a great day and left there thanking God that I had not embarrassed His Son with a tactless response to this young lady in training.

Well, there you go. Another challenge for you. Be sensitive of what to do or say in order to maintain good relations with others or avoid offense.

Colossians 4:6 “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

Aunt Hope

I opened the Bible this morning to the Psalm for the day, Psalm 30 (today is the 30th). My goodness, how appropriate! I had someone ask me just this morning in email “How in the world do you do it? How do you keep going after losing an 18 year old in your family?” I could not have answered it better than David’s words in Psalm 30.

From the beginning of the Psalm to the end, we give Him thanks forever! Verse 1, I will exalt you, O Lord, - He lifted us out of our “pit” and He did not let our enemies gloat. So many could have said, “Where is that God you cried to? He didn’t heal Hannah, now what?” But no! He answered our prayer just as He had planned and He graciously prepared our hearts for that plan. He received all the glory because Hannah is with Him - totally glorified!

Verse 2 - we cried to Him for help and He healed us, He continues to heal us! Every day we awake by a precious Hand of grace and compassion that brushes across our cheek.

Verse 5a - gotta love this one! Weeping may remain for the night, but joy comes in the morning!! Yoo hoo! Gotta love mornings!!

Verse 8 - To you, O Lord, we called!! We cried for mercy and He heard our cries. He wants us to cry to Him! It’s not just about believing that He’ll answer our prayer, it’s about trusting Him to answer it in His time and His will.

I really like verse 9. What would God have had to gain had we been destroyed? If we had fallen under the battle and grown weary and quit through the journey, if we had turned our backs on Him, what gain would there have been for God? Will the dust praise Him? I don’t think so! He had all to gain by sustaining us and bringing us out of the pit! We praise Him for His goodness to us!

Verse 11 and 12 - He has turned our cries and wailing into dancing. We still cry but not for long - He reminds us of all He’s doing through Hannah’s precious life and we have to dance! Oh, that our hearts may sing to Him and not ever be silent! O Lord our God, we give you thanks forever!

Will the dust praise Him? I don’t think so!

Aunt Hope

Oh Dear Jesus,
 

I have been anticipating with great excitement what You are going to teach me through the remainder of the 19^th Psalm.  The first 6 verses of the chapter are about Your greatness revealed through creation!  The heavens and the skies declare Your glory every single day!   And probably more than at any other time in my life, I am taking notice.  I am desperately desiring and needing to see Your glory every single moment.  And You have continued to show me Yourself through Your creation!  I am consciously aware that You are continually speaking to me through Your display in the  heavens!!  You have on different days with different displays spoken to my heart in a very personal way over these months.  Another day that I hadn’t recalled until just now was a day when Mickey and I we were headed from Mrs. Harrison’s to MD Anderson.  There had been a little rain that morning and someone had spent the night with Hannah at the hospital.  As we turned onto Holcombe, there was the most beautiful rainbow that was situated over the road and the hospital that just spoke to us of Your presence and Your promises!!  We saw it Lord and needed to know of Your presence and Your promises for that day!!
 

The focus of the chapter changes at verse 7.  The emphasis is no longer the visible display of Your glory in the heavens but the display of your glory through Your written Word.  And oh, how precious is that and how it stirs my heart to the very core!!!  We hold in our very hands the only Book ever penned that would compare to the glorious display of God showing Himself in the heavens!!!
 

 I will never forget at Camp Voyager in the summer of 2005 when David Platt spoke on these verses.  That young man probably had more passages of scripture hidden in his heart than anyone I had ever sat under before!  He ate the word and it dripped from his lips!  It made me hungry for more of this “living word.”   I recall asking him after he shared that morning about the transition from the glory of the heavens to the glory of the word of God!!  He commented that just as the heavens are so glorious and magnificent, so is the written word of God in its magnificience and power!     
 

Wow!  It must be of such significance and importance for the Creator God of the universe to compare it to the glory of His creation!  So, what is it?  What are the secrets it holds? Oh Father, teach me!  We have grown up knowing that “Your word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path,” and that if we “hide Your word in our hearts we will not sin against You.”  That we can put “our hope in Your word” and that “Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.”  (Psalm 119)  Unwrap it for me, Lord!!  Show me Your glory through Your word!!!  Help me know You through Your word!
 

Psalm 19:7  “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.”
 

Your Word, Lord, is completely and absolutely perfect.  Without one defect or one fault!   Its perfection will never disappoint me!!  We have received, over the last nine months, many, many, wonderful books: books on dying, books on grieving, books on heaven, books on “Why me?”  In fact, if I were to stop right now and begin reading all of them, I would invest many months of my life reading.  But none of them have been given a “perfect” rating by the God of Universe Himself with the exception of His word, the bible!!!  It won’t just “sometimes” lead you right, it won’t just sometimes comfort your heart, it won’t just sometimes meet you at your point of need, it will always lead, always guide and always direct you right and renew your mind!!!
 

I was so blessed on Sunday night to be with Hannah’s D-group.  They have made the decision this semester to read only “the word” together and journal what it speaks to them individually and then share it weekly!  It blessed my heart!!!  Your word does speak to us each day as we seek You.
  
Ms. S, from another country, was commenting last night at Andrew’s basketball game about the weakness and the sickness within the body of Christ.  We are a weak body and the enemy is having a hay-day with our families, our children, and our lives.  What is our defense?  The perfect law of the Lord – our sword is the Word of God.  The word and prayer are the only offensive weapons we have been entrusted with by the God of the Universe.
 

“The law of the Lord is perfect reviving the soul.”   “revive” – to impart new health, vigor, or spirit to.  To renew in the mind. To restore to use. To restore the validity or effectiveness of.
 

What will revive me today Lord?  What will revive me tomorrow?  What will continue to revive me each day, one at a time as we continue to walk this pilgrimage You have set us on?
 

The law of the Lord – the Word of God!
 

Oh Father, thank You Jesus, that You have not left me here to revive myself, to pull myself up or out, and You have not left me to figure things out on my own.  No, You have given me every answer I need.  I just need to be still and listen to what You have already given me!  Help me this day to walk in the power of Your Holy Spirit and see things and other people from Your perspective!
In the strong name of Jesus, I pray!  Amen.

Good Morning Sweet Baby Girl!!

I awake early this Monday morning and have you on my mind!!  I was wondering what Monday morning looks like in heaven!  Do you have certain things you do first everyday?  Do you have certain chores?  Are you finally learning to cook?  I know it isn’t really Monday and everyday is not like it is here but I still must think in finite terms so I will just imagine!  I would guess that instead of running to the word first thing in the morning, you probably go straight to the feet of the Living Word, Jesus!  You don’t need to draw from the pages of the word anymore, do you?  You don’t have to cling to the word for strength like I do!  Yesterday morning, one of my scriptures was Ps. 28:8 – “The Lord is the strength of His people.”  Boy, is that true!  We are only still operating down here because of His perfect strength!  All of your faith has become perfect sight!!!!  I can’t really imagine but it is great fun to think about!!    “I can only imagine - what that day will be – Will I stand in His presence, or to my knees will I bow, will I sing Hallelujah, or will I be able to speak at all?   I can only imagine.” 

Oh, Hannah I think I will bow on my knees and I won’t be able to speak - that’s what I think.  But boy when I get up and start talking we will be in trouble, won’t we?  Or you know, maybe it will just be perfect knowledge and we won’t have to catch up at all.  You already know and then I too shall know “even as I am known,” the scripture says! 

Your celebration of Life service was 11 weeks ago yesterday.  Earth time really goes by fast!!  You would be proud of me, Hannah, I fixed a great Sunday dinner like I always used to do and invited folks over – at the last minute – like I always did after church!  I only had 4 great big potatoes but you know I just prayed over them like I always did and  the Lord was so good, as always, and I have a little Tupperware left in the frig.  I had put chicken breasts in the crock pot – about 8 – and had 12 folks to eat  so on the way home I was trying to figure out how I was going to stretch it!  I was thinking that if there was enough broth, I will just make a lot of gravy, cut up the chicken and put the gravy over it.  You know me, I always check with the neighbors to see if they have any “extra potatoes”   and none of them were home yesterday after church, so I prayed over those 4 big potatoes and knew the Lord would make it enough.  I steamed the rest of the broccoli I had, Ms. S opened a couple of cans of peas, and I had put in a loaf of French bread before church.  It all came together and it was precious fellowship!  Friends brought dessert and that made everyone completely satisfied I think!!  I pray that yesterday was the beginning of Mom cooking Sunday dinner again and having folks over!  It was such a blessing!!   And He always makes it enough.  I let all the boys go through the line first and they really hit the potatoes hard – I have to admit I was a little nervous – I know the Lord must just smile at me!  Daddy was pretty excited too that I can still cook!!  Ha!!

Hannah, you know Ms. S is here!  We have had the greatest time!!  Nothing spectacular we have done – just being together has been great!!  We went to your D-group last night and ate with them.  They know how much you loved Ms. S and how much she loved you!  I just thought it would be good for all of us!  Maybe me, most of all.  Somehow, I think that me being around is a little like having you around!  Or maybe it is just for me – anyway it was a sweet time.

We had the opportunity to share at a precious little church yesterday morning – such dear  folks and the sweetest spirit!  At the end, there was a precious young girl who was just crying and crying.  I went over to her and asked if I could pray with her.  She went on to tell me that 2 years ago, she had lost 3 of her best friends in a car accident and it was still so fresh – watching your clip and hearing your story must have brought it all back.  We had a sweet time of prayer together!  I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose your best friend or someone you really loved that you were best friends with.  I thought about her and how she would be able to relate to your friends!  I know your friends are all going to be fine.  The Lord is going to continue to heal their hearts and fulfill His purposes for them.  They won’t ever be the same, though.  They can’t.  It is almost like some innocence of life has been taken away with a very harsh reality but I pray for each of them that it will make each of them stronger, more passionate and purposeful in their lives!

Ms. S has helped me go through most of the kitchen cabinets!  I still hadn’t done that after all the beautiful work that was that done in the kitchen.  We threw away a bunch of “stuff” and I am so excited!  I hope we can defrost the freezers and clean out that “paper” closet in the kitchen.  I’m not really anticipating the work, but I am anticipating the result!  You know, Hannah, there is no way in this world we will ever know or be able to thank all of the people the Lord has used to be such an incredible blessing in our lives over these months!  Everywhere I look in our house, they are notes that need to be written and I have already sent 100’s.  I have just asked the Lord over and over to bless each of them ten-fold and I am just trusting Him to do just that!  I pray they know how much of a blessing they have been!

Ms. S listened last night while I read Greek mythology to Michael.  Oh, that is so not me but having Ms. S listen and explain it to us helped a bunch!!  We got some great laughs – we were reading love stories – wild stuff!   Man’s ideas and imaginations re: spiritual things!  I am so thankful we have the book of “absolute truth.”  And you know, Sweet Baby Girl, that is where I need to be right now -  in that book of absolute truth!  I love you baby – I miss you and I couldn’t be prouder of you!   We pray that the Lord is going to bring forth much fruit from your life and your “new life” to the praise of His glory!!! Have a great day in heaven!!   Mom!!

John 21:4-7a “He (Jesus) called out to them, “Friends, do you not have any fish?” “No,” they answered. He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”

Do you ever just get frustrated with life? Things just don’t go the way you planned, you’ve asked God and asked Him for a particular answer to prayer and you just don’t see it happening? Is there ever a time that you feel like you just keep throwing out your net for fish and each time you bring in an empty net? Jesus wants us to trust Him with all areas of our lives and not grow weary! Just when we think we’re going to “starve” and that no answer will come, just when we are ready to throw up our hands and head back to shore, He shows up and tells us to cast our net to the right side of the boat! Now you know that these men had already thrown the net to the right side of the boat, but rather than arguing with the Lord, they did as He instructed and threw the net in one more time. WOW! Did He ever fill it up!

Dear Father, may I continue to cast my net even when I’m weary. May I hear You as You whisper to me, “Cast your net to the right side and I will fill it”. I trust You to fill my net each day with exactly what I need. The net was so full yet no damage was done to the net! You give us what we need and so much more! May we trust you with our net today! You alone are faithful and true!

Aunt Hope

Good morning! God sure does have a sense of humor, doesn’t He? He knows just what you need when you need it.

 I’m leading a great group of sistas in the Beth Moore Bible study on Daniel at my church, and one of Beth’s MANY points that grabbed me a couple of weeks ago was the “I choose joy” statement. You know, we don’t always feel joyful. We don’t always look joyful. We don’t always act joyful. But if we are Christians, we have joy! We just have to choose it. I made a whirlwind trip to Atlanta yesterday to be with my brother who was having surgery. I got back home and crawled in the bed just before 1:00 a.m. this morning and had a hard time going to sleep. I had intentionally enjoyed two glasses of tea for dinner so that I could stay awake for the ride home. It worked! So when the clock went off this morning, I didn’t feel joyful. And - Caleb’s mood on the way to school would not have won the joyful award for the day. And - Clay rushed out at 7:00 for a quick trip to a Milliken plant, then called around 7:45 to say he had not chosen the “quickest” route so the one hour drive was going to take him quite a bit longer. He did not feel joyful. As I was doing some final touches at home before heading to the office, I decided to have a temporary melt down. I cried, I had a heart-to-heart with God about a few things, I cried some more and then I decided - The joy of the Lord is my strength! My strength lies nowhere else but in the Lord and His joy. It’s there, I just have to choose it! So - here’s my resolve for the day…I choose joy!!

Nehemiah 8:10 “…Do not grieve…for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”

Say it with me…I choose joy!!

Aunt Hope

Oh Dear Jesus, You truth and Your word cut right through to the chase all the time.  Like a piercing knife that divides even our souls and our spirits.  Oh Jesus, we are just reflections of who You are and the only way we can reflect You is to be in Your presence soaking up who You are!!  

Just came from an FCA meeting this morning and was challenged about using our gifts, talents and abilities that You have given to each of us for Your glory - and how I cannot possibly do that in myself - and how it is only through daily dying to “me, myself and I” that You can fill me with Yourself -  Oh Jesus, I desire for You to fill me with Yourself. 

Joshua 1:8  “Do not let this book of the law depart from your mouth, meditate on it day and night, then you will be prosperous and successful.”  That scriptrue came to my heart as I was listening about the world’s view of success of prosperity.  Your recipe for prosperity and success is to be meditating day and night on Your word, being still in Your presence and soaking up who You are.  Oh Father, teach me that.  You continue to have me meditating on the 19th Psalm and again this morning You speak truth over my life through it.

v.4-6 “In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun” 

Wow, Father, You went to so much trouble to make a home for the sun - the heavens!  How cool is that -  You must have been thinking “Where will I find a place suitable to house the sun?  The heavens will be its home!!  Oh, Father, the place that You are preparing for us we cannot even commprehend!  You tell us that You go to prepare a place for us and that if You go and prepare a place for us that You will come again and receive us unto Yourself that where You are we may be also.  (John 14)  Oh Father, our eyes have not seen, our ears have not heard, nor has it even entered into our hearts the things that You have prepared for us who love You. (I Cor. 2:9)   Oh Father we cannot even begin to fathom the home You have prepared for us.  But for the sun You created the heavens!!!  Our place must be so beautiful!!

“like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavillion”  Oh Father, forever and ever, this verse will be a picture to me of what You did when You came for Hannah!!  You are the bridegroom, we are the bride - the chosen, the beloved, the cherished, the ones You gave Your very life for!  What a beautiful picture - the bridegroom and the bride - You have loved us with an everlasting love and have drawn us to Yourself!  You have prepared a place for us and when it is all prepared You come like a bridegroom to take the bride to Yourself.  You were the bridegroom and Hannah was Your bride.  You are the bridegroom for every one of us!  Oh, Father thank You for loving us, for loving Hannah, so much that You came and that You will ultimately take each one of us to Yourself as Your bride.  Prepare us as Your bride, holy and set apart even this day! 

“like a champion rejoicing to run his course” - the preparations a runner makes to prepare for a race are incredible.  The hours and hours of training. . . until at last the preparations are complete and the race is ready to begin.  Everything we have had set before us and that we have prepared for and invested our lives in is coming to “reality.”  And there is great joy and rejoicing in the running of the race that we have been prepared for.  Ultimately, Father, as Your children, the finish line we have been called to is heaven - that is the goal!!  Sometimes we lose focus, Lord, but that is the goal!!  Oh Father, how we must keep our eyes on the goal to finish the race well and strong!!!  Oh Jesus help me run today with the goal in mind!!!  With eternal things in view!!

“it (the sun) rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other;”

Andrew reminded me this week, Lord, that the sun doesn’t move - the earth moves!  But You know Father, from where we sit every day it looks like the sun moves, doesn’t it?  Once again our clouded perspective would make us “think” that the sun moves.  You are the only one who can see the “whole picture!”  Oh, Father, help us keep trusting You when we can’t see but from our limited sight!! 

“nothing is hidden from its heat” - nothing in the whole earth is hidden from the sun - nothing - we can run and we can hide but absolutely nothing is hidden from the sun!!  We cannot even live without the sun!  What a picture of You Father!!  We can run and we can hide but we, none of us, are ever hidden from Your sight!!  You pursue us constantly - we cannot out-run, out-smart, out-do You!  And we give You great thanks that You do not ever give up on us!  We can never fall beyond Your reach!!  Oh how precious are Your thoughts toward us!

Father, in the moment right after we were told that Hannah “was not here” by the nurse, the words of this Psalm flooded my heart and my spirit and my mouth spoke the words of this Psalm aloud.  It was nothing that was thought about before that moment, nothing that had ever crossed my mind but Your spirit in me took hold and these were the words that came forth.  It will be forever etched on my heart and in my mind.  It was the Holy Spirit speaking forth Your truth from this vessel of clay.  It will forever be the picture of what happened - the bridegroom coming for the bride - and it will forever minister to my heart in the deepest recesses.  Thank You for the power of Your word and how it breathes and speaks forth life every time we open it!  Open my heart to receive more and more of Your word.  In the Strong name of Jesus, I pray.  Amen.

My goodness, friends and family, I arrived at the office this morning to find four heart-wrenching email prayer requests from individuals that need hope. None of which were cancer related! Not the cancer that we’re used to dealing with. But a cancer of the mind, or a cancer of the heart, or a cancer of the spirit. It is unbelievable how many hurting people are out there - they need hope!!

I had an incredible opportunity to speak at Mt. Calvary Presbyterian Church yesterday to a group of senior citizens - how fun was that!! We shared some laughs, some tears - it was amazing how many of them had followed Hannah’s story daily. I shared the plans and focus of Hannah’s Hope Ministries and after I returned to my seat, the sweet lady (that by the way cooked the best turnip greens and caramel cake I have ever enjoyed! As Clay would say, that gets in your mouth when you eat it!  ???) anyway, she said to me “You are ministering to all types of cancers, even if it is not actually cancer as an illness. Divorce is a cancer of the soul, it eats away at you if you do not allow God to help you. Drug Addiction is a cancer that eats away at your body.” “Wow!”, I said. “That’s good! I’m gonna use that!” How God spoke to me through those dear elderly people. I went there to minister to them, and of course I was ministered to instead. What a sweet and FUN time!

So - today I was faced with four very serious prayer requests that represent cancer of different sorts in people’s lives. One was a cancer of panic and depression, one was a cancer of unexpected separation quite possibly headed to divorce, one was a cancer of a friend that is an atheist, one was a cancer of temptation and trials in a young son’s life. Guys, Christians!, we have an obligation to share the hope that we possess! I Peter 3:15 tells us to be ready at ALL times to give an account of the hope that lies within us. Shame on us if we go about our lives and keep this hope to ourselves.

“It is the worst degree of selfishness when we hold in our hearts the keys to hope - the hope for which the world longs - and do not open our mouths to share it.” - L. Mathis

The definition of hope - to look forward to with confidence or expectation.

Do you have that eternal hope in Christ? Then share it! This world needs hope!

Aunt Hope

Psalm 19: 3,4 “There is no speech or language where their (heavens and skies) voice is not heard.  Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”

Your ways are amazing Lord.  Yesterday morning a friend brought by an 8 x10 framed picture of the sunset we experienced in NC the day we cut our Christmas tree.   You remember how I said that afternoon that everytime the sky was pink I would think Hannah had painted the sky.  Well, my friend and her husband had been home in Spartanburg that evening and he had called her outside to watch this most amazing sunset.  He always takes a lot of pictures and had captured that particular sunset with his camera.  It was unbeknownst to them, at the time, that we were marveling at the exact same sunset from a different location.  She had later read about my commenting on that sunset and had been prompted to bring the picture to me.   It was a big hug from You yesterday Lord.  Another time that You were saying to me “I’m watching you, I’ve got you covered.  You just keep looking for me.  I’m desiring to show Myself to you all the time.”  A perfect example of the voice of the heavens and skies going out into all the earth and to the ends of the world.  We were watching the same sunset and it was speaking to each of our hearts. 

As I think about voices and words and how they go out over all the earth, I am reminded of the only scripture that I know where every voice from all over the earth will be speaking the exact same truth.  How incredible is that and it must be a pretty awesome and important word.  It is from the book of Philippians, chapter 2 and verse 11.  It says, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and EVERY TONGUE confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  Every voice, every word, every language, every tribe and every nation will confess that Jesus is Lord.  That is not based on my opinion or anyone else’s.  It is based on the eternal, infallible living word of God.  Amazing!  My footnote goes further to comment that at the last judgment even those who are condemned will recognize Jesus’ authority and right to rule.   People can choose to regard Jesus as Lord now as a step of willing and loving commitment, or be forced to acknowledge him as Lord when he returns.  Christ may return at any moment.  Are you prepared to meet him?   

It is a pretty sobering question, Lord.  It was a question that Hannah had answered and she had to give her answer at only 18 years of age.  Today is the day we have been given.  We are not promised tomorrow.  More than at any other time in my life, I can say, “Even so come, Lord Jesus.”  And oh, Father if there is anyone who has not settled forever their eternal salvation and destination, I pray that today Your Holy Spirit will not let them rest.  You have given us Your word that we may know that we have eternal life.  We can know that today and have that settled for that the rest of our lives here on this earth.  I John 5:13.

From Rev. 7:9 “great multitudes that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne in front of the Lamb.  They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.  And they cried out in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. . . Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen.” 

Your voice, Lord, and Your words are loud and they are clear.  Thank You that You continue to speak forth truth and life everyday.  In Jesus name, Amen.