Good morning,
Now that I have reached senior citizen status, saying goodbye to old friends is getting to be a part of my normal routine. Last week I wrote about the joys of getting home, but there is more than one side to this story. Since we know that the Lord has planned every day of our lives before we were even born, (Psalm 139:16) we know that no one really dies before God had planned for them to leave this life for the next. What does surprise us is that there are some “good” people who die unexpectedly either because they are still quite young or because they seem in such good health. Then accidents, wars and violence are always with us and take us by surprise when we know the person involved. I think the hardest situations to handle come when we are dealing with someone close to us and we are not ready for them to leave yet. The enemy does his best to get us to blame God for taking someone when we “know” they should have been given more time.
It seems that our cultures have become so committed to a long and healthy life that anything less than that must be a waste of that person’s life. People, especially unbelievers, don’t wonder what God is up to. We have been trained to think of time and life as our right. It’s assumed that when people die, its a bad thing. Our loving Heavenly Father sees this issue in a very different light. When God’s plan calls for what we might consider a short life, we need to remember that God is doing them a special favor. We live in a evil world, surrounded by all sorts of danger, pain and fear, but when we leave this world for the next we will never be hurt or afraid again. We may end life here with a groan, but when we get home we will begin our life there with an incredible celebration. When we as God’s children are called home, we will be welcomed by the Prince of Peace and will continue to live in perfect peace for the rest of eternity. May God help us to see death as more that an enemy, for death is also the beginning of eternal joy.
Isaiah 57:1 Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. 2 For those who follow godly paths will rest in peace when they die.
Roy Wisner
Now that I have reached senior citizen status, saying goodbye to old friends is getting to be a part of my normal routine. Last week I wrote about the joys of getting home, but there is more than one side to this story. Since we know that the Lord has planned every day of our lives before we were even born, (Psalm 139:16) we know that no one really dies before God had planned for them to leave this life for the next. What does surprise us is that there are some “good” people who die unexpectedly either because they are still quite young or because they seem in such good health. Then accidents, wars and violence are always with us and take us by surprise when we know the person involved. I think the hardest situations to handle come when we are dealing with someone close to us and we are not ready for them to leave yet. The enemy does his best to get us to blame God for taking someone when we “know” they should have been given more time.
It seems that our cultures have become so committed to a long and healthy life that anything less than that must be a waste of that person’s life. People, especially unbelievers, don’t wonder what God is up to. We have been trained to think of time and life as our right. It’s assumed that when people die, its a bad thing. Our loving Heavenly Father sees this issue in a very different light. When God’s plan calls for what we might consider a short life, we need to remember that God is doing them a special favor. We live in a evil world, surrounded by all sorts of danger, pain and fear, but when we leave this world for the next we will never be hurt or afraid again. We may end life here with a groan, but when we get home we will begin our life there with an incredible celebration. When we as God’s children are called home, we will be welcomed by the Prince of Peace and will continue to live in perfect peace for the rest of eternity. May God help us to see death as more that an enemy, for death is also the beginning of eternal joy.
Isaiah 57:1 Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. 2 For those who follow godly paths will rest in peace when they die.
Roy Wisner
