Joey's Last Request Is Changing Everything For One Man

How God Is Using Joey's Last Request

Before leaving for Heaven, Joey Feek outlined some of the wishes she had for her funeral service to her devoted husband, Rory. Now, in his latest blog entry on This Life I Live, Rory shares how God is using Joey's last request. And it is yet another testament to our Lord and Savior's amazing ability to make all things work together for His good! Credit: This Life I Live / Wide Open Country God works in mysterious ways. His work could be seen all throughout Joey Feek's battle with cancer. And even though her time on earth is done, God still continues to work through her -- this time using Joey's last request to bring to light the incredible talent of a formerly unknown man! RELATED: Rory shares the tear-jerking reason Joey's daughter hasn't asked about her As Joey and Rory discussed her final arrangements, Joey told Rory what she wanted -- a plain wooden box lined with a quilt made by her 75-year-old friend, a simple service where their hometown pastor would share the gospel, and someone to sing the song "Leave It There" at her graveside. Rory says she paused for a minute, and then added something to this last request.

“'No… not someone,' and she looked at me and smiled, 'I want Bradley Walker to sing it for me.'”

[rsnippet id="3" name="Article-Ad"] At the time she made the request, no one knew the name Bradley Walker. He was a family friend in whom Joey saw something special. To her, he was "one of the sweetest men, and voices she’d ever known." And so, when the day came where family and friends gathered around Joey's grave, they did so as Bradley sang out the moving words from the hymn Joey first heard while she and Rory were on their honeymoon in Montana.

“When you’re body suffers pain, and your health you can’t regain. When your soul is slowly sinking in despair. Jesus knows the pain you feel. He can save and He can heal. Take your burden to the Lord, and leave it there.”

Credit: 2009/Bryan Allen via The Dallas Morning News The powerful words were a comfort to those saying goodbye to such an amazing woman. But Bradley's sweet voice, which had impressed Joey while she was still here, also impressed Bill Gaither of Gaither Music that day -- the same record label behind Joey and Rory's final recordings. RELATED: Rory's tribute to Joey's goodbyes will leave you in tears Since that day, Rory has helped Bradley record his own gospel album with Gaither, full of songs about his faith. And Rory can't help but see God working again through his wife. He says,

"They tell me that the album is gonna come out this fall.  And our friend Bradley, who works at a power-plant in Athens, Alabama is gonna be all over his Mama’s television, and everyone else’s.   All because he sang one song.  All because of my wife’s last request."

In addition to the album, Bradley has also taped a television special from the stage in Joey and Rory's barn. Credit: This Life I Live He was also invited to perform at the Gaither's annual Family Fest gathering at the convention center in Gatlinburg. Credit: This Life I Live Rory attended so he could introduce Bradley, bringing Indy along as an opportunity for a mini-vacation. Bradley received a standing ovation from the audience of six-thousand people. Credit: This Life I Live Rory couldn't be prouder. And he knows he's not the only one:

"It was beautiful to see.  To see that big smile on Bradley’s face up there on the stage.  Still, I know he would trade it all in a heartbeat to have Joey still here with us.  We all would.  But if this had to be the next best choice… Joey would be so proud of him."

Be sure to read Rory's beautiful post about Joey's last request in it's entirety HERE. You can hear Bradley singing the hymn "Leave It There" in the video below: Leave It There - Bradley Walker from Hickory Films on Vimeo.

"As long as we have life we are living to the Lord; or if we give up our life it is to the Lord; so if we are living, or if our life comes to an end, we are the Lord's." Romans 14:8

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Watch the moving speech Rory gave at Joey's memorial.

  h/t: This Life I Live