My Deceased Grandmother Still Lives

I can still hear the voice of my maternal grandmother. A matriarch of faith, she woke up at irrational hours and prayed for unreasonable amounts of time. She never missed a prayer meeting, vespers, Bible study, Sabbath school, or worship service. Not only did she attend church meetings but she was active in witnessing and evangelism too. She conducted Bible studies, sacrificially funded mission projects, and told everyone who was willing to hear about Jesus and His return.

I can still hear her talking about God. She seemed most fervent when talking to her grandchildren. She would whip out her portable evangelistic graphics binder and point to the Daniel 2 statue, the four beasts of Daniel 7, the 2300-day prophecy chart, and a lamb being sacrificed at the bronze altar (with sanctuary diagram included) that pointed to Jesus! Honestly, I thought she would be taken into a rapturous vision with the zeal she showed.

Once, exasperated with the church van driver (who was consistently late to pick her up for worship) she decided to study for the driver’s test. The Korea Transportation Safety Authority was so impressed that a senior citizen passed that they publicly congratulated her for her accomplishment—she was mortified. In turn, my uncle bought her a bright yellow car, first because he was proud of her, but also because he wanted to ensure everyone would see her on the road.

I can still hear her voice today. Though she passed nearly five years ago, many still remember her voice and influence. The Bible is clear that she is not watching from heaven, nor is her spirit dwelling in her house. Rather, she is unconsciously sleeping in a grave in Pocheon, South Korea.

Yet my deceased grandmother still lives. Not in body, nor in thought, but her prayers still live. Not because she is alive, but because God heard and still acknowledges these prayers; they are effective beyond her lifespan. Pray-ers may pass away, but prayers in the ears of our Lord never do.

Her truth still lives. The Bible studies she gave, the hours she invested in Scriptural study and investigation continue in the minds of those who heard her voice. The truth embodied in her counsel, her spiritual habits, her instruction, her discipleship, her identity, and her parenting continue in the lives of her children and grandchildren, spiritual and biological.

Her hope of the resurrection still lives in others. Though her heart has stopped beating now, there are many hearts today that beat with that same hope, yearning to see her again resurrected at the Lord Jesus’ return, longing to see her prayers answered by the Holy Spirit, and hoping to hear her voice again after our Father’s voice awakens her to eternal glory.