Devotion
Dying breaths
David Jacobs

I have seen a few people taking their final breaths on Earth. It is a humbling, saddening, and beautiful experience. I was lucky to have the opportunity to say goodbye to my best friend, holding his hand as he took his final breath. He was sick for a long time, and the last days with him were more intimate and emotionally crushing than any I have ever experienced. He had prepared for his final day, and although he was too sick to move or talk much, he had a plan and knew when his time had come. He called me the morning of the day he died and told me he would die at around 11 pm that evening. He invited his closest friends and family together, and we said our goodbyes, and he shared the most important books, movies, and music with us that he wanted us to remember him with. At 11 pm, my mother, an intensive care nurse, called us in because she knew he was about to die. Sure enough, a few minutes later and just as he predicted, he drew his final breath.

We cannot predict how our final breaths will be, but we can, like my friend make preparations for it and, more importantly, prepare for life eternal. Perhaps no character in the Bible other than Christ has as many incredible stories as King David. He was an obedient and devout disciple of God, asking for God's advice and listening to His word, but he was not afraid of sin, committing adultery and arguably murder. Here we see his last words, thankful to God first and foremost, reflecting on a life of achievement, granting him every desire, and warning against evil.

David, like my deceased best friend, chose to surround himself with those he was most thankful for. The 23rd and final chapter of 2 Samuel contains David's last words and then lists all of David's mighty warriors, the people that helped "grant me my every desire." Last on that list: Uriah the Hittite, the husband of Bathsheba, the married woman that David committed adultery with and that David placed in the thickest fighting so that he would be killed and David could marry his wife. It may be a coincidence that Uriah's name is last, but it may also be the biggest regret that David felt, even on his deathbed.

Prayer

Life is filled with regrets. How can we cope with these regrets? As David did so piously: turning to the Lord in prayer. Prepare your heart, be right with your word and deed, and go to God for forgiveness when you have sinned. Although David's every desire may have been granted, he took the life of one of his mightiest warriors, Uriah, and his name is the last phrase in the book of 2 Samuel. Go to God and ask yourself: what regrets am I harboring?