"The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come."
Have you known a Godly & Christlike person that was taken in death at a rather young age, & wondered about it? My very best friend was one of the Godliest men I've ever known, who loved & served the Lord all his Christian life. He died doing that very thing at a youth event at his church, of a heart attack at 42. My wife's very good friend, & a Godly pastor who I came to love & respect greatly, died on Christmas Day, 2003 at 40. I am sure all of you could multiply the examples exponentially. I must admit, the thought as to "why" did cross my mind, yet I must also honestly say, though I am far from a mature spiritual giant, I have been walking with the blessed Lord long enough to know His reasons are always best though I rarely see the "whys" & "wherefores" at the time.
As I read this verse recently, I wondered if maybe this explains at least part of the "why." I know it is specifically directled to Israel & therefore is not a direct answer to why Godly believers die young today. Yet it is interesting to me, & at least a possibility. But this also raises another question: Why NOT me? I am thankful I still have time to serve my loving Savior & also time to repent of the myriad sins & blunders I make every millisecond as well! Yet I must say that I wonder more at why I am left to keep serving my Savior while much more Christlike & gifted brothers & sisters are taken all around.
Maybe part of the answer is also found in the death of Robert Murray McCheyne's young brother. Dear, Godly pastor McCheyne, who died at 29 himself in 1843, was saved at age 16 due in part to the influence his own brother's death played in his life, helping him realize the brevity of life & his need to have the Savior as his own. Maybe the Lord can use the death of Godly people to open the eyes of the rest of us so we can draw closer to our wonderful Lord & get the correct perspective on life. Who knows, but God Himself? I do know that He is absolute Love & only does what is ultimately best in all situations whether I understand it or not. I appreciate all of your patience in reading this! I look forward to your thoughtful responses. My blog readers are the best! God Bless you all.
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18 comments:
Hi David,
I just saw your comment on my blog. I haven't even been there myself in quite awhile. I've been too tied up elsewhere to write anything for my blog. I haven't even decided for sure if I'm going to try and start my own blog. I'm not sure I would have time, but I might. You are certainly welcome to link to my blog if I decide to do it. I would be honored! I'm glad I discovered your blog. If you hadn't left that comment, I wouldn't have found it. I plan to spend some time here, because I really learn a lot of good things from you. Right now, I'm tied up with a thread on the Blue Collar blog. I hope to wrap it up soon, because I'm feeling the need to focus on more positive things. I hope you are having a day of joy in the Lord brother!
Gary
Hallelujah! 'Tis done. I believe in the Son. I am saved by the blood of the crucified One!
I love this! I needed to hear it today. This blog is already blessing me!
Gary
Bro, David,
My assumption is that until Heaven we can not know the entire mind of God... and probably not entirely then.
But we do know that we who have made the decision to trust Christ as Savior -- and then made the other decision to serve Him... have the number one job, to lead the lost to Christ. So many lost -- so little time.
In Heaven we will worship, fellowship, pray, etc, but sharing our faith is the only Biblical thing we will find unnecessary in Heaven. Everyone there will already be saved.
So, let the Lord deal with the details, let's just go preach the Gospel to everyone and train other believers to do the same.
In Christ eternally,
ExP(Jack)
I agree. I want to be like Paul and when it is my time I want to confidently say I persevered and ran the race well.
>Maybe the Lord can use the death of Godly people to open the eyes of the rest of us so we can draw closer to our wonderful Lord<
Maybe so brother and....I remember a man of God who died at a young age and later I discovered he committed a sin that I committed excatly as he did and it brings peace to my heart that even though he loved God, he failed as I did as well and it also stirs me not to go down that road again either. God is good.
Grace upon grace,
Brian
Bro. Gary!
Good to hear from you again. Thanks for the blog approval if you go with it. Thanks also for the kind words. I love to be used of God in even small ways.
Bro. Jack, as per usual, you are spot on. I know these questions are likely unanswerable, I just love to see what can be found in the Word to give insight into questions like these. The only true genuine wisdom in the universe is in God's Word. Thanks again for gracing this humble blog.
Rivka! What a blessing to have you stop in! I have had to buy all new socks because of you! Your blog just keeps blessing them off my feet!
Bro. Brian, you always brings wisdom with grace here. How many times has our wonderful Lord comforted my weary hurting heart by showing me that His grace is sufficient! God Bless you all!
I knew a young preacherin his twenties once who loved the Lord and was doing wonderful things on His behalf. He was a pilot and had his own small twin engine plane.
He had been in another part of the state for a revival (if I recall correctly) and afterwards, some family and friends drove him from the church back to the airport so he could fly home. Some of them had driven down, but he always enjoyed flying. As he was boarding the plane, he smiled and waved at them and said "I'll beat you home!" Little did he or they know that he would indeed beat them home. His plane crashed and he went home to be with the Lord. So he did go ahead of us...but will be remembered as a very Godly young man.
At his service, it was hard to comprehend why God decided to take him so early - he had a ministry that was growing in leaps and bounds. But we trust that God had a reason, and when we get to heaven one day, we'll see the marvelous results of God's plan.
"and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose"..now I've REALLY muddied the waters, huh?
I guess it's how you define "for the good"....
Sometimes this trusting thing is harder than others; deaths of Godly young people are times when I really wonder. Then I remember this is about FAITH, not FEELINGS....I FEEL it's unfair...my faith tells me "God is always fair"...but, oh, isn't it hard? For me it is.
wonderful piece, David...blessings to you!
Ms. Green,
Thank you so much for posting that. I am almost certain that I am familiar with that account. I believe Dr. Howard Hendricks told that story, because he knew that young man. I am so thankful that we can rest in God's sovereignty as a friend of mine says, but also in His grace! If He did not see a purpose somewhere that we almost certainly cannot see, He would not have allowed it. I firmly believe that, though I cannot fully grasp it all either. It just shows His amazing power & wisdom.
Z! How good to hear from you as well. No, you did not muddy the waters at all. That fits right in with this text! God's wisdom so far exceeds ours, & we can always trust Him, & go to Him & pour out our hearts, because He cares. Thank you all for your excellent input. God Bless.
Words of wisdom, David.
We see the micro but God sees the macro! He sees the big picture and is causing ALL THINGS to work (note: it doesn't say He is causing all things, but He is causing all things TO WORK) together for GOOD...
(He may be causing all things too, for all I know, but in my understanding, the really bad things in this world I just can't lay at His feet )
God bless you David. He works it all together.
Rose!
Thank you for the note. I agree with you that God does not cause all, but certainly can use all to our good & His glory. He is so good, & we can trust Him implicitly. Thanks for dropping in & blessing this humble blog!
amen David...even the bad that has gone on in this blogisphere even among the Christian community.
Grace upon grace,
Brian
Yes, bro. Brian. A glorious benefit of being a believer in Christ is that absolutely nothing need be wasted in the Christian life. Our pain & suffering can still be useful in God's skillful & loving hands. May the Lord bless you!
Well put brother. This could well be the reason God placed Satan in the garden to try us and then later in the wilderness to try His only begotten Son who would not fail and would redeem us.
He's got the whole world in His hands and He definately has a plan and purpose, but his hands are clean of our sin and Satans evil intent; yet he uses that evil to bring good instead. What an amazing God we serve.
Grace upon grace,
Brian
So well-put, bro. Brian! God Bless you brother.
Good afternoon,
I see this discussion is from over a year ago, but I hope I can contribute a bit here. My wife just lost a close friend from work yesterday. This woman was in her early 40's and died suddenly of a heart attack (in her sleep, from what I understand). My wife always shared with me how encouraging Elena was to her, and how Elena was walking with the Lord and lived it...even in the small details. Her last words to my wife came after my wife had an encounter with a mean patient at the hospital where they work. Elena told her not to worry about how other people think about her, but rather only be concerned with how God thinks of her because she's a "Kingdom Kid" and that's all that matters. I never met Elena, but I have shed tears over her passing as I struggle with the "why" question. I know God's ways are perfect, but He also understands our very emotional response to loss. Elena was a light in this world, but it was apparently time to move on to much bigger things :) Anyway, thanks for the blog post and ensuing discussion as it was nice to read. God bless you all!
Corey,
I am so thankful that you posted your beautiful comment. There is so much that I could say, but since you said it so well, I will only add just a few words. I am so thankful that you said that God understands our emotional responses. It would be unnatural & unhealthy, both physically & spiritually, to try & hold in or deny our feelings. Yes, we will need God's grace to help us heal, but we'll never even begin the process without admitting the feelings we have. Tears are a gift from God no doubt. The psalmist said that God keeps track of them, & that it is preciousin His sight when one of His own dies. Joseph Scriven, the hymn writer certainly understood what it meant to grieve, & wrote "What A Friend We have in Jesus" to help us to realize just how much we need Him, in all times but especially in grief. The psalmists poured out their hearts to God & we are told to do the same! He is our Refuge! (Ps.62:8). I said more than necessary Corey, but we will pray for you & your wife & her friend's family. I trust this will not be your last post here! You are welcome anytime! May the Lord bless you!
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