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I just got a
call tonight that I have been expecting all week, telling me
that my mother died this afternoon. It was a long, lingering death, and the final moments were as uncomfortable as they could be. But this is the time to be grateful for the clear and weight-worthy knowledge that God is sovereign, and that not one tiny little detail escapes His tender notice. Have you heard that beautiful little song "It Will be Worth it All When we See Jesus"? The best reason for not squandering time in regret or speculation is that when we get to heaven, then and only then will we be allowed to see how the events of time fit in with each other. In the meantime, we chose the attitudes that God has asked us to because He knows the beginning from the end, and we do not. I remember hearing the story of the boat trip taken by the man who was the founder of the well-known Navigators, an evangelistic and Bible-memorization organization. He and some friends were boating, and in a "freak" accident, the boat capsized, and he was not found. The wives were waiting on the shore, and when the survivors and rescuers came, the man's wife was told that he was gone. It was known that they had been very close, and the bearer of the news was miserable as he related the information. She was quiet for a moment, and then she said, "God has called him home, and I will agree with God." My father died a slow, painful death also, and even in dying, he enjoyed the Lord each minute. We so dread the deaths of others, but mostly it is because we still cling to what we can see and touch. It is hard to say goodbye and then watch the life drain out of someone you love, but in His infinite creativity, Love designed death to be confrontive and painful. May we be reminded that our lives are to be spent, not waited out. Time must be measured and weighed in order to obey the manner in which we are to live. Christian radio today would have you put your life's greatest emphasis on your family while singing and talking about Jesus - but the Bible says to store up treasures in heaven, not on earth. Learn not to dread death. For the believer, it is a tremendous time of testimony and ministry. God did not relax and slip in the design of man - physical death is God's best like all else, and if He is allowed, He will use it to His Glory. |
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