Heaven Awaits

I admit, as a Christian, death is a hard subject to tackle. Death hurts. We never want to see our loved ones in pain, nor do we want them to leave us. But, sadly, death is a part of life for everyone. I did not want to write this blog post to depress you or make you sad. Instead, I wanted to write this post to give you hope and peace. When our friends and family pass on, it hurts. But, if they had a personal relationship with Christ, we can fully know that they are with our Lord and Savior. I will freely admit that I don’t have all the answers about life and death. What I do know is that God is on the throne, and he is with us every step of the way.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.”
Psalm 46:1-2

I have four songs that I want to share with you. Some of them speak about the death of a loved one, while others simply sing about entering heaven. Each of these songs deal with the subject of death, but each of them also inspires to bring hope and peace to the listener.

The first song is from the pop/punk band Hawk Nelson. I Still Miss You is off their third album, Hawk Nelson is My Friend. This song is very personal to lead singer Jason Dunn. Dunn sings about missing his grandmother who passed away from cancer. Even though Dunn did not understand the timing or even the death of his grandmother, he still trusted in God’s perfect plan.




The second song is Smiling Down by the band Pillar. Here is an excerpt from lead singer Rob Beckley talking about the inspiration behind the song. To see the full interview with New Release Tuesday, click here.

“This song was inspired by two different couples who were both dealing with the tragic loss of their children. One family in particular, the Cleary's, who had two small boys, lost their 18-month-old son, Zander, when he accidentally drowned in a swimming pool during a church gathering.

Shortly afterward, they wanted to take their older son, who was 4, out to the burial site so at least they could say, "This is where Zander's going to be." On the way out there, their 4-year-old was pointing to the clouds and shouting, "Mommy, there's Zander!" His parents replied, "No, Zander's gone." They were trying to help him cope with the loss, because that was his little buddy. But he kept pointing to the sky, so they pulled the car over and took a picture - which is still on their camera - just so they could prove that they didn't Photoshop it. As they looked up into the sky, to their amazement, they saw the most incredible, pristine outline of an adult holding the hand of a little child. The boy said, "Look, there's Zander. He's with Jesus." After they took a picture of this image, they looked back up, but it was gone.

Now, I was one of those guys who was like, "Oh, yeah, you saw the Virgin Mary in the wood grain of a door!" Some people look for something in everything. But this story had such an impact on me. When I heard their testimony, I thought: You know what? You're right. Zander's in heaven, he's holding the hand of Jesus, and he is smiling down on you! We can find great comfort in knowing that he is now with Christ. This song is told from a perspective of a loved one who has gone on to be with Jesus,” Rob Beckley, lead singer of Pillar.




The third song is off Skillet’s latest album Awake. Here is Lucy by Skillet. As John Cooper said, “This is a sad song, but it’s also about second chances…It is meant to bring hope to people, meant to bring a peace to people. All these things are hard and they affect you and they are real, but there is a God who loves you.”




The final song I want to share with you is Come Awake by the David Crowder Band. This song is off their amazing album, A Collision. The entire album of A Collision is a response to a tragedy of a dear friend to the band. Kyle Lake, the band’s friend and pastor, was tragically killed while adjusting a microphone during a baptism. Come Awake is such a powerful song not only about death, but also rebirth within Christ Jesus.




Everyone is affected by death and hard times in their life. But, God promises that He is always with us.

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31