Majestic Moments #4: A Song from Above

On Mother’s Day 2003 my wife, Marsha Lake, sent an email to our two young adult children describing her hopes and dreams for their future. Her main message was “I love being your Mom.” Marsha died eight months later. Her children insisted that the email be read at their Mom’s funeral. It triggered a flood of tears, especially among the mothers. Here’s what she wrote:

“As I think about what it means being a mother today, I know that being a mom has been my greatest joy.  I may not ever do anything of significance in this world, but knowing that I helped raise two AMAZING children is significant enough for me.

“Nothing has mattered more in my life than being your Mom.  Nothing is more important to me than to know that you are living lives that honor God.  Nothing matters more to me than to know you both you both love Him with all your hearts and desire to serve Him and bring glory to His Name all the days of your lives.  Nothing has been more important to me than for both of you to find godly mates so that you can pass on the heritage of faith you’ve been blessed with to the next generation of our family.

“I love being your Mom.  I love the relationship we’ve been blessed with.  I know that God has great plans for your life.  Trust Him, stay connected to Him, listen to Him, so that you may know true joy in life.  Remember, joy is not dependent on circumstances.  God promises joy in spite of circumstances!  I love you more than you’ll ever know, Mom.”

In June 2005 I decided, as her husband, to try to raise $10,000 to build a school in Angola in Marsha’s memory. But I was leaving for Angola for 6 weeks on July 1. So there was little time to plan and organize the event. I scheduled the fundraiser for late August, sent out an E-vite to everyone I could think of, and sat down to plan the program.

I knew that Marsha’s email message had to be part of the program. Out of the blue God planted this thought in my mind – put her words to music. The most amazing thing happened. I heard the song playing in my head – exactly as you will hear it in the song! In 20 minutes the song was finished. It was a God thing.

I even knew who should help me. I asked our worship leader, who is a recording artist himself, if he knew of anyone who could record the song. He made the arrangements. I asked the Director of our children’s ministry if she would sing it for the recording. She agreed.

I gave her a signed, blank check and told her, “Please just make it sound great!” Then I left for Africa. I didn’t hear the final product until one week before the fundraiser. I was listening to it for the first time while in my car. I almost drove off the road because I was crying so hard. The song was perfect – just as I had heard it in my head almost 2 months previous.

No one at the fundraiser knew about the song (except the singer and me). Right before I asked people to make their donation I played the song to a PowerPoint slide show. The pictures all showed Marsha with our children at various stages of their lives. The response was overwhelming. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place. Ultimately, we raised $30,000 and were able to build 3 schools! Only God!

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