Retirement’s Final Challenge: Finish Well by Drawing Closer to God Even in Sicknessనమూనా

5. When Illness Leads to Death, May It Be Your Greatest Testimony

For many of us in retirement, the question is no longer just about how to live — but how to finish well.

What if the final season of your life is marked by sickness? And, when healing doesn’t come, but the decline continues – what then?

Especially in this situation, Scripture offers astonishing hope. Your death can become your ultimate declaration of trust in Jesus. You can make a greater impact in your final moments than all your final years combined.

Yes, in almost every instance, we pray for healing. We hope for recovery. But sometimes, despite our deepest prayers, most advanced treatments, and greatest faith, the sickness still ends in death.

Yet for the Christian, death is not defeat — it’s homecoming. It is our graduation into glory.

Paul wrote this from prison, facing his own possible execution:

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” — Philippians 1:21 NIV

He wasn’t being poetic. He meant it. Death, for the believer, is not loss — it’s more of Christ. He continued:

“I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.” — Philippians 1:23b NIV

“We know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven... We are always confident and know that... we would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” — 2 Corinthians 5:1, 6, 8 NIV

For believers, death is not an exit into the unknown. It is an entrance into presence — the presence of God Himself.

This is the final way that sickness draws us closer to God: as it leads to death, it draws us all the way home.

Even Jesus faced death with both anguish and assurance. He wept at Lazarus’ tomb (John 11:35). He prayed in agony in Gethsemane (Luke 22:44). But in the end, He entrusted Himself to the Father:

“Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’” — Luke 23:46 NIV

Faith doesn’t deny the pain of dying. It simply sees beyond it.

My Mom and the Power of Prayer

Some years ago, my mom battled a chronic illness that left her on oxygen, gradually declining. When my wife and I visited her, we asked how we could pray. Her answer surprised us: “Pray that I die soon… maybe with a heart attack.”

I looked at my dad — her husband of over 50 years — and he gave a quiet nod.

So we prayed.

The very next evening, she passed away peacefully beside her bed as she was getting ready for sleep. No hospital. No pain. No struggle. God had honored her request and given her the homecoming she longed for.

Jesus healed many people during His earthly ministry — but He only raised a few from the dead. That’s because death is not the worst thing that can happen to us. For us as believers, it’s the only way to be fully united with Him. And because of Jesus, we no longer fear condemnation or separation. We can face death with confidence.

Take Time to Reflect

We don’t choose how or when we die. But we can choose how we prepare. And we can choose what others see in us as we approach the finish line.

For the Christian, death is not a tragedy — it is the final healing.

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.” — Revelation 21:4a NIV

That’s not fantasy. It’s a promise.

Ask yourself:

• Am I afraid of death, or am I trusting in what comes after?
• Have I shared the hope of heaven with those I love?
• If my sickness ends in death, will others see Christ in me?

Let your life — and even your dying — be a testimony. Because for the believer, death is not the end.

It is the beginning of the best part. And yes — we still praise God.

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This is Part 7 of 7 - we hope you enjoyed them all! Next, watch for our book "Retirement Truths - what the Bible says" - due to be published in November 2025.

Or, if you’re wondering what’s next and how God will lead you, then click here for a list of resources to help with that. For more readings on a wide range of other topics, search "Roland Heersink" in the YouVersion app. Blessings to you!