The Gospel Note

While visiting the Atlanta Temple Corps for a typical Sunday Morning Holiness meeting, I was surprised to find a random note. The surprise was so captivating that I have continued to think about it for the many months following.

After driving to the corps and finding a seat in the chapel, my wife and I settled in to enjoy the various elements of the Sunday program. The band played wonderfully, the songsters sang beautifully, and the scripture passage of the day was read aloud in multiple languages. When it was time to give our tithes and offerings, I reached forward and pulled a tithe envelope from the holder at the back of the pew in front of me, preparing to “fire our cartridge.” On the back of the small white envelope, I noticed that someone had written a message in pencil.

This random note was obviously written by an adult’s hand, not by a bored child who scribbled out their favorite ice cream flavor or drew a picture of their family cat. As I dwelt on the words of the note, I wondered if it was a statement of fact, the title of a sermon preached sometime in the past, or a personal cry of despair. With my imaginative thoughts engaged, I can confess, I didn’t listen to the sermon that day; instead, my focus hovered entirely on the note and on what the author may have intended with the statement: “I am going to die, I need Him.”

If the intention of the writer was merely to state facts, then they were communicating the ultimate truth. The message of impending death would certainly apply to every person who has ever lived in this world. We are all made of dust, and far more fragile than we like to think about. “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes,” (James 4:14). Because of our severe limitations as walking piles of dust, it is also true that we each need Him for life on this earth, and for a future life eternal. “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together,” (Colossians 1:15-17).

If, however, the author was crying out to God through this first-person note in response to some internal struggle raging in their heart, mind, or soul, then I hope he or she found true peace. The writer might even be reading this article now, and to that person, whether you have or haven’t yet found godly peace, please know that the Lord hears your plea. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us,” (1 John 5:14). This scriptural truth that the Lord hears our humble cries also applies to anyone else currently struggling within their own heart, mind, and soul.

Whatever the motivation or purpose behind this note left at random by someone attending Atlanta Temple, it is a wonderful one-sentence, critical truth that should guide each of our lives. The beautiful simplicity of this note, which encapsulates the gospel message, could have a second sentence added: “I am going to die, I need Him. In my need, I cried out to Him, and now I will experience life everlasting.”