Even for many of us, that have been saved... born again...and filled with the Scriptures from God's Word, there can come those moments in life, when it becomes difficult for us... to "Understand God".
It's hard for us to understand - what God is doing!... It's hard for us to understand - where God's presence is, in the midst of our darkest hours!... It's hard for us to understand - why God isn't doing what we've asked him to do!... It's hard for us to understand - how God could allow certain things to happen!... It's hard for us to understand - why God didn't stop certain things from happening!... It's hard for us to understand - how God could do for one and not do for another!... It's hard for us to understand - How God could sit back and not send His wrath against so much evil and wrongdoing in this world!... - It's hard for us to understand - how God would permit the evil, wicked, and sinful people in this world to gather enormous wealth and never seem to suffer serious affliction, while His own children have hardly enough to live on and may be stricken at any moment with any form of illness.
Oh Yes! - There is so much about God that is often difficult to understand.
Sometimes, in the stormy periods of our lives, we may be tempted to ask,..."If God actually loves us so much"... "If He is truly a God of Mercy and a God of Grace"... If God really does answer our prayers"... "If God sincerely cares about us and the needs that we have"... "if God is our Provider, and our Protector, and our Deliverer, and our Restorer"... then..."How could God?".. "Why did God?... "Why didn't God?"... "Where was God?"..."Why wouldn't God?"
Oh yes, for certain, we are saved. Yes, we have truly been born again. Yes, we have lived our lives as sincere believers in Jesus Christ. Yes, we have trusted in God with no compromise. But the hard, unimaginable, and difficult circumstances of life have suddenly fought against us, causing the humanity of our minds to search for a new understanding of God.
Now, it may be more difficult for some of us, to hear God's response to our questions. For in Isaiah 55:8-9, God reveals this unto us. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts... neither are your ways my ways...saith the Lord... for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than yours... and my thoughts than your thoughts."
God is saying to each of us..."There are certain things about me that you will never be able to fully understand with your human mind. - God says..."I am Spirit... but you are clothed in your humanity right now."... "I am Eternal... but you are a temporary being in an earthly form, unable to discern all spiritual things right now."... I am Infinite and Unlimited...but you are finite and limited in what you can understand right now."..."I, alone, am Omniscient, all knowing... but your knowledge is still limited to that which I have chosen to reveal unto you."... "I am Omnipresent, present in every moment of time, past, present, and future... but you can only occupy one space at a time... one place at a time... and one moment at a time."... "I am the Almighty Creator... but you are the creature because I created you... and I know full well how much of me you are able to comprehend."
Even in 2nd Corinthians 2:26, the Apostle Paul asks the question, "For who can know the mind of God?" Paul says, "I certainly can't claim to know it all... and I haven't met anyone yet... that knows it all."
A few days ago, I believe the Lord spoke a great truth into my spirit. For I heard Him say, "With God, our Eternal Good always takes precedence over our Temporary Comfort.
Now, all of this in reference to God has come to bear, as we now face this mysterious experience we have come to call death. It is not an occurrence that God has hidden from us. For in Hebrews 9:27, he clearly tells us, "It is appointed unto men once to die and after that the judgement." Death is therefore an appointment, set by God and not by us. And it is an appointment that we must keep. We have all hopefully learned by now that death is as certain as life itself....That no amount of prevention can keep death away from us forever... that the shocking and disturbing reality we've discovered is that death may come early in the lives of some and later in the lives of others... that death may come from cancer, an accident, heart failure, a murderous act, diabetes, a disaster, a tumor, an assault, an aneurysm, and especially from old age. And because we presently live in this physical world, we are all exposed to the possibility that one of these causes, or something else not mentioned, may bring about our own death.
Also, I need us to be clear about one thing. It was not Sister ______'s desire... nor was it her intention... to leave this world at this particular time...under these particular conditions... due to these particular illnesses. But she lived life, and she loved God, and she served God... and she worked hard for others - as if any day might be her last day upon the face of this earth. Sister _________ lived so that no matter what the cause might be... and no matter when the time might come, she'd be fully prepared to take her Heavenly journey. Sister______ lived, ready at any moment for the call of God - for her to come home. She hadn't "planned" to leave - but she didn't "hate" going either.
She reminds me so much of the Apostle Paul, when he said in Phillipians 1: 21, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" In other words, "As long as I'm in this world, my life and my work belong to Christ. But when I leave this world... when I've taken my last breath, I will have gained every single thing that God has promised me." Sister _________ hasn't lost anything! - - She's gained everything!
I understand the heartache that you, her family and her friends must feel - because my heart is just as saddened as yours. But where is God's heart, when one of his believing children like Sister _______ has transitioned from this world? The Word of God, in Psalm 166: 15 tells us, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His Saints." So, Sister _________'s death was actually precious to God?? - Lord, why was her death so precious to you?
And God answers - "Her death was precious to Me, because I know everything that I've prepared for her in Heaven." - "Her death was precious to Me, because I know... and I've always known what was best for her." - "Her death was precious to Me, because what I have for her here... is a thousand times better than what she had down there." - Her death was precious to Me, because she belonged to Me... long before she ever belonged to you. She's been Mine, since before she was born." - Her death is precious to Me, because that temporary body of hers was worn out... worn down... fragile... weak... and unable to sustain her life any longer.... and she did not deserve to suffer, just because you wanted to keep her there with you."... "Her death was precious to Me, because on My side of death, there is everlasting joy... everlasting peace... everlasting comfort... everlasting glory...but on your side of death...(for You)... there is nothing but heartache, lonliness, and pain." - "Her death was precious to Me. because only I can reunite her with her wonderful husband... her dearest loved ones... and all the saints that have gone before her.
God is saying, :She is my child...She is with me, her Heavenly Father, at this very moment. And that, too, is very precious to me!
But God doesn't stop there. He is also saying, "I know this is difficult for you, because you cannot fully understand the complete experience of death." - "I know this is difficult for you, because it's impossible for you right now, to stand on Heaven's side of death... and see everything that was awaiting Sister _____________ when she reached Glory" - "I know this is difficult for you, because all you feel and all you know is that SIster _________ is no longer with you." - "I know this is difficult for you, because you cannot be with her right now... you cannot hold her hand right now... you cannot hear her voice right now... you cannot see her smile right now." - "But that's only for - right now!" - "It won't be that way always. For one day, you will see her again.
Now, some may still be saying, "But death came too soon for Sister _________. It just wasn't her time!" And I can understand why some might feel, that way... because none of us were really ready for her to depart this life. But think about this. If God were to ask us, "Alright then, you tell me! When would you be willing... and when would you be comfortable with Sister ________ leaving you and coming to be with me?" And you know as well as I, that none of us would be able to give an acceptable answer.
Listen! - Because God is eternal, He is not restricted to any element of time. Nothing is "too soon" or "too late" with God. Eternity has no time... no exact measurement with God. Everything is governed by God's appointments, not our personal calendars. And furthermore, God is also Sovereign. Therefore he decides the course of all occurrences. We may not understand it. - We may not be comfortable with it. - We may not agree with it. - We may become upset and hurt over it. And that's why our entire Christian experience must be grounded upon our complete trust and faith in God. - Not just in the things we can easily understand. - Not in what we think God should do. - Not it what we expect God to be. - Not in what seems right to us. Outside of everything else, our faith and trust must be in God himself... In God alone.
I have two pictures of Sister__________. One was taken as she posed so beautifully one Sunday after church. The other was taken, as she lay helpless in her hospital bed, just over a week or so ago. At first, I thought the picture at church was her "before" picture... and her picture in the hospital was her "after" picture. But God quickly corrected me. I heard God tell me, "You have to reverse those pictures." The picture in the hospital is her "before" picture. The picture at church on Sunday Morning is her "after" picture. God said, "It doesn't matter in what order the picture were taken. Her "first picture" is now her "last picture". God said, "The picture at the church - is how she looks right now in Glory. The picture at the church with the smile on her face - is the same smile she's wearing up here in Heaven. - The picture at the church with the sparkle in her eyes - is the same sparkle she has in her eyes right now. The picture at the church with the beautiful glow all around her - is the same glow that encircles her at this very moment. The picture at the church with the peace you see in her... is the peace she carries within her right now." - - I had to tell the Lord thank you. I was truly missing this precious member of our church. But God gave me a vision... not just of how she was... but of how she presently is. I'm rejoicing for her now - and praising for her now - and shouting with her now.
Sister ________________ was a truly devoted wife and a compassionate mother. She was dedicated to every member of her family. She received Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior - and loved Him with all of her heart. She work faithfully and tirelessly on her job for over twenty years, also ministering and giving assistance to her co-workers. She worked equally as hard in her church, giving so much out of the pure goodness of her heart. She was always willing to help... to feed... and to clothe those in our surrounding communities that were in need. She loved her church. She loved her Bishop and her Pastor. She loved her church members.
But now, Sister _________ is resting from her labor. And her works have followed her, according to the scriptures.
She's not sick or afflicted anymore. - She's not worried about anything anymore. - She's not lonely for her husband anymore. - She has no more troubles - no more problems - no more dangers - no more heartaches - no more sorrows.
How do we know all this? We are assured of these things because of the promises in God's Word. 2nd Corinthians 5:8 promises us that, "To be absent in the body is to be present with the Lord" - 2nd Corinthians 5:1 promises us, "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal i the heavens." Jesus himself promised, in John 14: 3, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." - Jesus again, in John 17: 24 prayed this prayer about us. He said, "Father, I will that they also... whom thou hast given me... be with me... where I am..." Every one of these promises... and many more... belong to Sister _______________ and they belong to us as well. This is where our hope must come from, in times like these.
You have to know that Sister ____________ is alright now. In fact, she's better than she's ever been before. And I don't want my tears to be selfish tears - tears that are just about me - tears wishing that she were back here on this physical earth. Why in the world would I really want her to come back to a life of suffering - to a life that no longer carried any quality for her - to a life of total dependence upon others?
No! - I'm praising God that he has carried her to her Eternal Home. - I'm praising God that she is where I look to be, when my name is finally called. - I'm praising God that He has lifted her from mortality and covered her with pure immortality. I'm praising God that she is free from all that once had her bound - and kept her restricted - and put limits on her abilities.
And I'm praising God - because I know - that one day - I shall see surely her again. LET EVERYTHING THAT HATH BREATH... PRAISE THE LORD! May God richly bless you and open your understanding to His Perfect Will.
