How I Hope I Die

timowen459
Apr 10
3 min read

Everyone dies. But how do you want to die?

Maybe in your sleep—painlessly, peacefully. Or maybe with all of your loved ones around you, just falling off to sleep and waking up in eternity.

What do you think will be going through your mind in that moment?

I think about death a lot—not in a dark or heavy way, but because I read about it a lot in the Bible. And today, in my reading, Moses dies.

It’s kind of wild how it all went down. Moses had disobeyed God and taken His glory for himself, and because of that, God told him he wouldn’t enter the Promised Land.

He could see it—but not go in.

After 40 years of leading God’s people through the wilderness, this was the moment:

“Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Mount Pisgah, across from Jericho. From there the Lord showed him all the land… Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘This is the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said to them, “I will give this land to your descendants.” I have let you look at it, Moses, but you will not cross over there.” (Deuteronomy 34:1, 4 NCV)

I wonder what was going through Moses’ mind and heart at that point.

He knew. God had already told him—this was it. This was his hour.

So when your hour comes… how do you want to die?

For me? I want to see glory. I want to see heaven.

I want my thoughts and feelings in those last moments to be filled with awe, wonder, and the overwhelming joy of stepping into my eternal home.

I want to turn the last page of this life and open the first chapter of the next.

And I pray—God, give us that vision. Let our final thoughts be full of You.

Now, I want to point out a couple incredible things about Moses’ death:

First, this detail:

“Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not weak, and he was still strong.” (Deuteronomy 34:7 NCV)

Isn’t that interesting?

His eyes were clear. His body was still strong. Like God wanted us to know—he didn’t fade away. His death wasn’t because of old age or weakness. It was simply… his time.

And second, this line:

“Then Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in Moab, as the Lord had said.” (Deuteronomy 34:5 NCV)

That’s what he was called in the end: “The servant of the Lord.”

Think about that. Moses was a prince. A murderer. A fugitive. A shepherd. A spokesman. A miracle worker. A prophet. A man who saw God’s glory with his own eyes.

He sinned. He made mistakes. He didn’t get to enter the land he worked so long to reach. But none of that was what defined him in the end.

He was remembered as the servant of the Lord.

And if you are a follower of Christ, that is what you and I will be called too.

Not “the failure.”

Not “the one who messed up.”

Not “the one who didn’t get it all right.”

But “the servant of the Lord.”

The one who loved God.

The one who loved people.

The one who clung to Jesus.

We will finally receive what we never could earn, and never deserved.

And we will be known for who we are in Him.