Songs of Deliverance

This picture was taken by Ut on Sept. 27, 2008, our last day in Chiang Mai

You are my hiding place,

You shall preserve me from trouble;

You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.

Psalm 32:7

On Friday, November 21, I woke up with a song in my heart. It was the song, "Sing Over Me" from Lakewood's album, Cover the Earth.

It was like a fountain of water that kept bubbling over my heart with the lyrics and the melody. I found myself singing it over and over again.

Psalm 32:7, the verse from which the title of the song is taken, also stayed in my heart for the rest of the day.

Ruby and I returned to Bacolod very early the following day, Saturday.

I was really happy to see my husband again. Little did I know that that day would be our last day together here on earth.

I only had two hours' sleep that morning, which is one of the disdavantages of taking the dawn flight. But there were a number of important things needed to be done for the day.

Had I known what would happen within the next twenty-four hours, I would have dropped everything and just chosen to be with Ernie.

When he met me at the gate, I thought Ernie looked a little pale. Although he was his usual jolly self on the surface, I sensed that he was a bit quiet, almost pensive, underneath.

In between my "to dos" we had breakfast, and lunch together. In the afternoon, I went to the FFI office where Buddy, Ruby and I finalized the guest list for the Thanksgiving Banquet we were having on Monday night. (Craig Hill was arriving in Bacolod Monday morning to visit the FFI national office, and to give encouragement to all of us in the ministry team.) Later, in the evening, Ernie and I had dinner with our friends Pong and Rustom.

We got home at around 9:30 p.m. and having had no sleep yet, I fell asleep as soon as my body hit the bed.

At around 2:20 a.m., I woke up to hear Ernie coughing. He was sitting on the couch in our living room. I ran to his side and asked him how he felt. He said he couldn't breathe and asked to be taken to the hospital. Putting my arms around him, I spoke life to his entire body, came against any demonic assignment, and broke the power of the spirit of death over him.

We reached the hospital at about 2:40 a.m. where the Emergency Room staff gathered around him, just as they did two years ago when he had his first heart attack from which he miraculously recovered.

Our friends William and Ruby arrived a few minutes after we did. We began praying for Ernie, and I thought that everything would turn out just the way they did two years ago. We were standing outside the ER and I would just go in once in a while to check on the developments. I was so sure he would pull through.

At around 3:45 a.m. I was surprised to see them begin doing CPR in an effort to revive his heart. Ruby and I stood near the foot of Ernie's bed and began to intensify our prayers for a reversal, a revival, a restoration of health. As Ruby was praying for the resurrection life of Jesus to arise in Ernie, I heard this little voice whispering in my heart: "Ask Me to send the angels who will usher Ernie into my presence."

This was when I "knew" that Ernie was going home. I whispered in his ear, "You have been a very good husband to me, and I want you to know that I love you and I appreciate all that you have done. Thank you."

My beloved husband's earthly life ended at 4:30 a.m on November 23, 2008. At that precise moment, his life in heaven also began.

Below are the lyrics of Sing Over Me, the song God had put in my heart to prepare me for this event:

Sing over me

Songs of deliverance

Lord cover me

With Your mighty hand

Sing over me

God of the second chance

Sing over me

Once again

Once again I'm drawing near to worship

As You're drawing me

Once again You lift my head

You lift my heart to heights unseen

In a moment I am in Your presence

Everything is clear

As I hear heaven's melody

As you begin to...

Sing over me

Songs of deliverance

Lord cover me

With Your mighty hand

Sing over me

God of the second c hance

Sing over me

Once again

(from the album Cover the Earth, by Lakewood)

I thought the song was for me when I was singing it in Manila. I realize now that it was for Ernie, and I was singing it prophetically. "In a moment I am in Your presence, everything is clear, as I hear heaven's melody..."

It was my Father's way of pouring a healing balm over my heart, preparing me for the pain of separation. I have cried many tears, but as the body is still lying in state, we have to face the many people who come to offer sympathy and to condole with us. My cell phone has been ringing, and text messages have been coming in one after the other. Right now, a part of me is still numb, unable to be in touch with the reality of his passing away. I feel like I am just floating and watching myself on a surreal movie. I know that I can only begin to grieve and mourn his loss after the burial on Wednesday evening.

But I do want to say this: " Thank you, my dear Father, for having given me a second chance to be with Ernie. Thank you for that whole year in Thailand, you knew it was going to be our last year together in our thirty years of marriage, and You wanted it to be very special. Thank you, for preparing my heart for his homegoing. You have thought of everything I need way ahead of time."