So much of what I write about comes out of my real life experiences. This entry will be no different. While eating breakfast with my wife this morning at one of the local cafés she received a phone call from a lady who needed counsel for a friend who just lost her fifteen year old daughter in a tragic car accident. When I got in my office later and checked my email I learned about another tragic death of a young college student in a car accident who was close friends with a young man from our church who attends that same college.
When we are in our teens, twenties, thirties, and forties and maybe into our fifties and sixties we rarely think about death and the truth that life is brief. I had a conversation with a man last night who thought he had cancer earlier in the year and had to come face to face with his own mortality. This seasoned man thought he was staring death right between the eyes and was visibly shaken by it all.
Life is not only brief but it is also fragile. Bones break, vital organs shut down, blood pressure rises and lowers, immune systems breakdown and eventually our bodies succumb to death. For many this will happen of natural causes as the body wears itself out and people fall into a peaceful and eternal sleep called death. Others die of horrific circumstances and with excruciating pain.
The question raised by both Christians and non-Christians in such times is where is God? Where is God when you watch someone you love deeply die an agonizing slow and painful death while you feel you are praying seemingly in vain and sitting by helpless? Where is God when tragedy strikes taking someone way too premature in our thinking leaving sorrow and confusion behind? Where is God when the death dew settles cold over the bodies of young and old alike?
You might be surprised by the answer. God is present. You want to know where He is? He is there. [Ps 139:16] tells us, “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.” That means God was present at the birth of every single person who has ever lived. He was there before we were born shaping and molding individual lives with creativity and sovereign genius. He is there when new babies are born. He is there for those who rejoice in the new birth and He is there for those who grieve the heart wrenching losses of babies taken way too soon. He is there for the families who have special needs children. The important thing to remember is that He is there in the beginning.
He knows every day ordained for every person. He knows the ordinary and boring days that come and go filled with our routines and schedules. He knows the thrilling days when we rejoice over His bountiful blessings and life’s accomplishments. He is there in the days when our hearts are so overwhelmed with sorrow and the bitter bile of confusion and anger that eat away at not only our faith but our very souls. He is there when we express our doubts, frustrations, and our blinding grief.
He is also there in the end when life fades to death, when hope fades to despair, when care free living is displaced with a burden that buckles the knees. He is there as eternity becomes reality and life on this earth fades into shadows and dust. He is there when faith becomes sight and the glorious Lord Jesus is manifest physically before the eyes of those who have placed their trust and faith in Him to forgive their sin and transform their hearts. He is also present for those left to grieve and remember. He is there as a comforter in tragedies. He is there as hope for those having to relinquish their earthly grips on beloved spouses, parents, children, and friends.
Jesus, who is the great truth teller, did not sugar coat the reality that death does come for all through the pages of the scriptures. [Ps 90:10] “As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away.” [Ps 90:12] “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” [Heb 9:27] “And inasmuch as it appointed for men to die once and after this comes the judgment.” [James 4:14] “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” [Ps 39:5-6] “Behold, You have made my days as hand breadths, and my lifetime as nothing in Your sight, surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Surely every man walks about as a phantom; surely they make an uproar for things; He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.” [Eccl 3:1-2] “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven – A time to give birth and a time to die;…”
Death is as much a part of life as birth is. We often choose to forget about it but time and time again we are shaken from our sluggish slumber through life and brought back to reality that life is fragile and brief. Sooner or later death hits close to home. Friends pass on and we attend their funerals. Spouses are torn from our lives after decades of marriage bliss. One day you wake up and realize that most of the people you love are on the other side of eternity.
My challenge for all of us is three fold. First, do not take life for granted. There is a day appointed for all of us to die. We do not know when that day will come for us or for those we love. Enjoy life and enjoy the ones you love. It could all end sooner than any of us think. Second, prepare your heart for eternity. I know there are many who will read this who do not think there is a heaven or a hell nor is there a God who judges. This is a huge gamble. If I am right and at the end of life there is judgment with eternal implications based on a person’s relationship with Jesus Christ and you ignored and denied this truth, you will have lost EVERYTHING and those you love who pass away will have lost everything. Read what Jesus said in [Jn 14:6]. What if I am wrong? I do not believe that for a second but for argument sake say I am wrong. What have I lost at death by putting my faith in Jesus Christ to forgive me and save me? Nothing. At worst I lived a morale life. At best I will spend eternity in Heaven loving, worshipping, and conversing with the Savior who gave my life purpose and meaning. One last thing to consider is, invest in the treasure of people and entrusted relationships more than in things or possessions. We don’t take those possessions with us. It all stays. It all breaks, wears out, and is temporary. Live life with those you love with no regrets.
Sooner or later the funeral home will be called to pick up your or my life less corpse. Family will gather to organize a funeral or memorial service. Caskets or cremation will be chosen. Some preacher will stand to preach and remember our lives. In that day, what do you want that preacher to say? As family and friends gather to mourn your passing, what do you want them to say about you? Live your life with that conversation in mind. Until then let us live while we live and remember the brevity of life while not taking that gift or others for granted.
When we are in our teens, twenties, thirties, and forties and maybe into our fifties and sixties we rarely think about death and the truth that life is brief. I had a conversation with a man last night who thought he had cancer earlier in the year and had to come face to face with his own mortality. This seasoned man thought he was staring death right between the eyes and was visibly shaken by it all.
Life is not only brief but it is also fragile. Bones break, vital organs shut down, blood pressure rises and lowers, immune systems breakdown and eventually our bodies succumb to death. For many this will happen of natural causes as the body wears itself out and people fall into a peaceful and eternal sleep called death. Others die of horrific circumstances and with excruciating pain.
The question raised by both Christians and non-Christians in such times is where is God? Where is God when you watch someone you love deeply die an agonizing slow and painful death while you feel you are praying seemingly in vain and sitting by helpless? Where is God when tragedy strikes taking someone way too premature in our thinking leaving sorrow and confusion behind? Where is God when the death dew settles cold over the bodies of young and old alike?
You might be surprised by the answer. God is present. You want to know where He is? He is there. [Ps 139:16] tells us, “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.” That means God was present at the birth of every single person who has ever lived. He was there before we were born shaping and molding individual lives with creativity and sovereign genius. He is there when new babies are born. He is there for those who rejoice in the new birth and He is there for those who grieve the heart wrenching losses of babies taken way too soon. He is there for the families who have special needs children. The important thing to remember is that He is there in the beginning.
He knows every day ordained for every person. He knows the ordinary and boring days that come and go filled with our routines and schedules. He knows the thrilling days when we rejoice over His bountiful blessings and life’s accomplishments. He is there in the days when our hearts are so overwhelmed with sorrow and the bitter bile of confusion and anger that eat away at not only our faith but our very souls. He is there when we express our doubts, frustrations, and our blinding grief.
He is also there in the end when life fades to death, when hope fades to despair, when care free living is displaced with a burden that buckles the knees. He is there as eternity becomes reality and life on this earth fades into shadows and dust. He is there when faith becomes sight and the glorious Lord Jesus is manifest physically before the eyes of those who have placed their trust and faith in Him to forgive their sin and transform their hearts. He is also present for those left to grieve and remember. He is there as a comforter in tragedies. He is there as hope for those having to relinquish their earthly grips on beloved spouses, parents, children, and friends.
Jesus, who is the great truth teller, did not sugar coat the reality that death does come for all through the pages of the scriptures. [Ps 90:10] “As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away.” [Ps 90:12] “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” [Heb 9:27] “And inasmuch as it appointed for men to die once and after this comes the judgment.” [James 4:14] “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” [Ps 39:5-6] “Behold, You have made my days as hand breadths, and my lifetime as nothing in Your sight, surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Surely every man walks about as a phantom; surely they make an uproar for things; He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.” [Eccl 3:1-2] “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven – A time to give birth and a time to die;…”
Death is as much a part of life as birth is. We often choose to forget about it but time and time again we are shaken from our sluggish slumber through life and brought back to reality that life is fragile and brief. Sooner or later death hits close to home. Friends pass on and we attend their funerals. Spouses are torn from our lives after decades of marriage bliss. One day you wake up and realize that most of the people you love are on the other side of eternity.
My challenge for all of us is three fold. First, do not take life for granted. There is a day appointed for all of us to die. We do not know when that day will come for us or for those we love. Enjoy life and enjoy the ones you love. It could all end sooner than any of us think. Second, prepare your heart for eternity. I know there are many who will read this who do not think there is a heaven or a hell nor is there a God who judges. This is a huge gamble. If I am right and at the end of life there is judgment with eternal implications based on a person’s relationship with Jesus Christ and you ignored and denied this truth, you will have lost EVERYTHING and those you love who pass away will have lost everything. Read what Jesus said in [Jn 14:6]. What if I am wrong? I do not believe that for a second but for argument sake say I am wrong. What have I lost at death by putting my faith in Jesus Christ to forgive me and save me? Nothing. At worst I lived a morale life. At best I will spend eternity in Heaven loving, worshipping, and conversing with the Savior who gave my life purpose and meaning. One last thing to consider is, invest in the treasure of people and entrusted relationships more than in things or possessions. We don’t take those possessions with us. It all stays. It all breaks, wears out, and is temporary. Live life with those you love with no regrets.
Sooner or later the funeral home will be called to pick up your or my life less corpse. Family will gather to organize a funeral or memorial service. Caskets or cremation will be chosen. Some preacher will stand to preach and remember our lives. In that day, what do you want that preacher to say? As family and friends gather to mourn your passing, what do you want them to say about you? Live your life with that conversation in mind. Until then let us live while we live and remember the brevity of life while not taking that gift or others for granted.
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