This remarkable man is an inspiration and encouragement to everyone who has watched him walk and speak. Even those who do not outwardly display emotions must have had tears in their eyes, witnessing his amazing endeavour.
One of the tag-lines that has become associated with this feat is ‘Tomorrow will be a good day’. It is a phrase that Captain Tom Moore has brought before the nation, and to nations beyond the UK. His experiences in life have enabled him to say that. Amongst other events, he has witnessed the horrors of WWII and the recovery of countries from them.
But the phrase ‘Tomorrow will be a good day’ should cause us to reflect on whether that is something we can always say with absolute certainty. As I reflected, two anniversaries during the past week came to my mind.
Two Anniversaries
The first one was the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp by British troops on April 15th, 1945. Approximately 120,000 people were held in Bergen-Belsen at some point during the war. At least 52,000 of them died as a result of the devastating overcrowding which led to starvation and epidemics such as typhus.
Mary Gerrard, a holocaust survivor, recalled the liberation of Bergen-Belsen as ‘the best day of her life’. For her ‘Tomorrow will be a good day’ was true. But for those who died in the camp complex, one of whom was Anne Frank, the promise ‘Tomorrow will be a good day’ was vacuous and based on nothing but ‘best wishes’ that had no sure foundation.
The second anniversary was the sinking of RMS Titanic that occurred during the early hours of April 15th, 1912. On the night of the 14th, as the ship travelled to New York, many passengers lay their heads on their pillows believing, ‘Tomorrow will be a good day’. Sadly, many of them never saw the sunrise on the 15th. Among those who sank to bottom of the Atlantic that night was John Harper, a Christian who was on a journey to preach the gospel in Chicago.
During the dark early hours of the morning, whilst holding onto a piece of debris in the icy water, John gave his life jacket to another passenger. Shortly after doing this, he sank beneath the waters never to resurface.
In hindsight, could anyone have truthfully said to John, as he went to bed on Sunday 14th April, ‘Tomorrow will be a good day’? The answer to that question is, perhaps surprisingly but undoubtedly, ‘Yes’. As a Christian, John knew that when he died he would go straight into the presence of the Lord Jesus.
John’s hope was neither something he had conjured up within himself nor something that had been inspired by motivational posters; it was based firmly on the promises of God. John knew that God guarantees for every believer a great salvation and that when believers pass from this world they will go to be with God.
Paul, a writer of many books in the New Testament, knew that being in heaven with the Lord Jesus was far better than anything on earth.
He could say that whilst he was on earth he was away from the fullness of God's presence.
“So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6).
However, he knew that the moment he died he would go straight into that eternal presence.
“We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).
“For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” (Philippians 1:23).
Every believer can have the assurance that their best days are ahead of them. There may be terrible circumstances in life, through disease and war. The time may come when the body and mind can no longer do what they once did. But there is a sure and certain hope that there will be a moment when ‘Tomorrow will be a good day’ will be a massive understatement.
Whilst the world has wishful thinking, the Christian believer has a sure word from God. What is the basis for your hope that ‘Tomorrow will be a good day’?
