Safely Home

The Testimony of Frank Davis

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us.”  (Romans 8:18)

Several years ago (I believe it was in the spring of 2014), an elderly couple joined the church I was pastoring at the time in Centerville, GA. Frank and Merle were faithful believers whose love for the Lord was evident in everything they did. Stopping to talk to Frank would leave you convinced that God had shown him far more kindness than he deserved. And you would always leave with a smile on your face.

On the night Frank and Merle joined the church, Frank asked if he could give his testimony. He began by telling us when and how God had saved him and expressed his gratitude for God’s sustaining grace. He then explained why it took him so long to make his way down the aisle. More than 20 years earlier, he was involved in an automobile accident that left him with a broken back. The doctor’s prognosis was devastating; he would never walk again. Indeed, he was unable to work, and his mobility was severely limited, but God had miraculously answered his prayer, and though it was slow and labored, he was walking, and he wanted everyone to know that he served a great and powerful God.

Over the years, Frank’s suffering increased. The pain (neuropathy in his legs and feet) became so severe that it was difficult for him to wear pants or lie under a sheet to sleep at night.

Eventually, Frank and Merle moved into an assisted living facility, and Frank took his place in a motorized lift chair that he only left to make his way to the bathroom. He lived, ate, and slept in that chair. His time was spent reading his bible, praying, and watching the Atlanta Braves or Georgia Bulldogs (in football season) on TV. And, while he was still abundantly grateful for God’s love and grace, he was growing weary of waiting for God to take him home. The last several times I visited him, the conversation always turned to why he was still alive. He felt that his life had no purpose, and while he was certainly not angry with God, he was getting just a little impatient.

The words below were written during that time to be an encouragement to Frank as he anticipated his homegoing. Mary Ann Wood (our church pianist) later put music to the words, and the song was sung at Frank’s funeral.