The Final Request Poem by Bill Upton

Long before we were born
You had created a master plan.
You gave us free will to find our own path,
Yet You put extraordinary difficulties along the way
To test the strength of our faith.
When hardship knocked hardest,
You measured our resolve and our courage.
Before it was more than we could bear,
You made a new way where there once was none.

As a grateful recipient of Your mercy,
I understand the bond between the good shepherd and His sheep.
In the deepest faith that is in me,
Please trust me one last time.
Trust me to not become disenchanted with You
No matter what is lost during illness-
No matter the outcome of this life.
Trust me that I can accept any decision,
And I can learn every lesson taught by it.
Although it may be the hardest of pills to swallow,
Let me fully realize that it is Your will, not mine,
That will be done.

Through You, let me be fireproofed to walk through this fire.
Through You, let me be waterproofed to endure this flood.
My faith looks up to You.
Be with me, and that is all I will need.