08/10/2019
Death, is it something we fear? As Christians we do not fear death because we know that our lives, which have been well spent in Christ, mean that we will find eternity following our final exhale on this earth. What most Christians fear is not death at all, but the dying; the sudden separation from earthly loved ones, the pain involved in dying, and leaving behind all that we have known. We fear that final step forward by faith into what we have not yet experienced.
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
Philippians 1:21 ESV
A young man pulls up to the curb on a busy highway; He is going to a party on the other side of the street. He knows that once he gets there he will enjoy his friends, and all the revelry, but first he must face the problem of safely crossing the street. There is even danger in merely opening the door and getting out of his car, so he is fearful and cautious as he watches for a break in the traffic. The problem, and root of his fear, is not what awaits on the far side of the road, but in getting from the security of his car to the joy that he knows awaits him. This is similar to what many Christian’s fear... they know the joy that awaits them in death, but are fearful of the crossing, of getting there... of dying.
“My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. And I say, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest;”
Psalms 55:4-6 ESV
In these verses David writes of his fear of dying. He is speaking to God and trusts him in death, but even so he fears the dying. Is this us? Are we confident of what awaits us at the end of this road which we are traveling, but terrified of what it takes for God to get us the final steps? Our time here is not to be determined by us, but by the will of God, and in this, as in all things, He says that we should not fear.
“yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."”
James 4:14-15 ESV
God determines the length and nature of our lives, and it is by His will that we are both born, and yes, die. All things in between have been given and measured by Him. So lean on Him in times of fear... even in the fear of death and dying.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Psalms 23:4 ESV
I have written many times before about a near death experienced in which I was drowning, and the Lord met me there. In those final moment I could feel His incredible joy and peace surrounding me, yet I was afraid, and worried about leaving my family. Even without my telling Him, He knew, and He told me not to fear for them because they were His, and had always been His. He revealed to me that even though I thought they were my responsibility... they were not. You see, we are not here by our own choice, but at His will, and though we fear dying, and possibly death, we should let that fear go, and lean on the promises of God, and Jesus Christ. Our lives are to be lived within His will. Know that all things work together for good to them who love the Lord, and trust in His Word, love, and eternal provision.
“For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked.”
2 Corinthians 5:1-3 ESV
If we are approaching that moment of dying, or are walking that road with someone else who is, take, and give, comfort. Know that God’s will, and his plan for us, and l all those around us, continues on when we have been called to be with Jesus at the Father’s table. Death has been conquered by Christ, so in this we have no fear, and that final breath of bodily life might be seen by those at death’s bedside as being painful, but to the dying it is as if it were a million miles away... a distant happening.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for relieving us of fear, and strengthening us in death, and dying, by sending Jesus to be there with us in that moment. Thank you Holy Father for not only your love for us, and your will for our lives, but for the active and boundless love and will you have for every life... our families, our friends, and all others. Teach us Lord to trust that your love overshadows ours, and that your love for our children, far exceeds our understanding. Help us Merciful Father to trust in your provision for us and all those we go before as we transition from our earthly dwelling into your magnificent presence. Give us confidence in your will and care for all those we love, and in knowing that just as you have comforted our forefathers who have preceded us in death, so you will comfort us in the fact that you will likewise lead and guide our children to you. Jesus said that into your hands He committed His Spirit, and in this way I too am faithful in offering myself up to you. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God who knew me before I was formed in the womb, and loved me when yet I was a sinner. Great are you who sent His Son to the cross for me, and loving are you to all those I have known, and loved. Praised be your name for comforting my fears. Glorious are you in your mercy, and all glory is yours forevermore through the grace you have poured out on us through Jesus. We worship you in the Spirit, and love you with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength... both on earth, and through our faith, in eternity.
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV
Rich Forbes