Because He lives I can face tomorrow

Because He lives I can face tomorrow

                                                          -Bill Gaither

Came across this song when I was a teenager and it was close to my heart. Now it’s closer.

          God sent His son, they called Him Jesus;

          He came to love, heal and forgive;

          He lived and died to buy my pardon,

          An empty grave is there to prove my saviour lives.

When I was small I questioned life and wondered which of the many Gods is true and convinced myself that the verse of this song is true and Jesus my Saviour is "The way, The Truth and The Life."

         How sweet to hold a new born baby,

         And feel the pride and joy he gives,

         But greater still the calm assurance;

         This child can face uncertain days because He lives.

I loved singing this verse and would dream of the day I would hold my own new born babe. God gave me that joy when both Nathaniel and Neville were born. He gave me the calm assurance even as we embarked on the journey with Neville’s sickness and his death and eventually life without Neville. It is with this same calm assurance we started the journey that God would be with Nathaniel who was to carry on in life without his brother and buddy and Nathaniel can face uncertain days because He lives. 

          And then one day, I’ll cross the river,

          I’ll fight life’s final war with pain;

          And then, as death gives way to victory,

          I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives

From the day I knew I was conceived both with Nathaniel and Neville I always prayed saying Lord these are your children and help me to point them towards you.  For Neville the journey of life is over and in the last 3 months he was alive, he gave us enough evidence, that he had a personal relationship with Christ. As a 7 year old he had to get right with God. Happy today that Neville is with the Lord.  This is the hope I live with every day. The world and all its troubles are temporary. There is a fixed period to life on earth which ends with the death. Just as death was temporary for Christ and it could not hold Him, I am given the same gift, as I believe in Christ and am willing, to live a life He is pleased with, however difficult the path is. This relationship is between God and me. The beauty about Christ is that anybody can have this relationship. It is beyond religion, caste, creed and colour. The only criterion is that we accept Him wholeheartedly and journey with Him through life’s difficulties and Joys.  This is the same hope which makes me believe that I will see my son in eternity and just as Christ was raised on the third day, those who died believing Him will rise up, and those living trusting Him would be transformed on the last day and we would live together in eternity.

When I heard this song at Neville’s funeral I was encouraged and assured of God’s sovereignty and presence in my journey forward and an eternal peace filled my heart.

So as I buried Neville and was going home I was wondering what life would be without Neville and dreaded to even imagine it, there was also a sense of fulfilment that Neville was safe in the arms of Jesus. I also realised that I did not lose my motherhood because I lost Neville and that God had still given me a lovely 9 year old Nathaniel and he was alive and I wanted to make life memorable and happy for him.

Life without Neville has been tough. It was a rollercoaster ride of emotions shock, fear, uncertainties, joy and happiness too. 


For me grief is letting go of an irreplaceable loss and finding a reason to live after that. Thankful, that I found my reason in Christ. Now I can say “Because He lives I can face tomorrow”


Was encouraged to hear the story of this song

Story behind "Because He lives".