“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved, and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-7)
This was not the topic that I originally intended for this week’s post, but given a few divinely inspired events, my plan was changed. As is my habit, I started the day with the “verse of the day” emails from Bible Gateway and KLove. The one from Bible Gateway was a portion of Psalm 139. It is a favorite of mine for many reasons; one of those is that it was the last passage my parents read together on the eve of my mother’s death. That circumstance coupled with the quote that I posted this week beckoned me to consider love and grief. You see as I begin writing this post, it the 92nd anniversary of my mother’s birth. If my normal protocol prevails, I will finish editing on Wednesday which is the 97th anniversary of my father’s birth. As the post is published on Thursday, it will be the 72nd anniversary of their wedding. My mother died days after her 70th birthday and their 50th wedding anniversary. Their lives and my relationship with them evokes feelings of love, grief, hope and peace…not merely because of our mutual affection, but primarily because of God’s love as it is woven throughout those and all of my loving relationships.
What or whom do you love most in the world? I’m sure that the uncoached answers would vary widely. I was challenged by Larry Crabb’s writing many years ago to consider the fact God is my best friend as He “being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He has loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive in Christ Jesus.” I have been further challenged by the writing of John Piper to consider that not only should my response be to love God as well, but to also delight in Him…to bask in the enjoyment of that relationship. It is not their words that convict me, but rather the scripture that they bring to the fore as they discuss one’s relationship with God. Put in other terms, what do your behaviors tell you is your first love or what loss would make you most distraught? Saying that we love God is good, but we also must live it to enjoy and glorify God.
Christ warns that we will have trouble in the world (John 16:33). As disheartening as it may be, have you ever stopped to consider that every loving relationship that you have…have had…or will have ultimately ends in grief as it relates to this world? Barring the return of Christ, every one of those relationships will end in sorrow as the result of sin or death. With respect to death, you will either grieve their demise or vice versa. Each of those deaths is a loss that accumulates and can’t be recovered in this lifetime. But it’s not only our relationships that present the prospect of misery; other losses and disappointments may plague our lives as well. Many of us have given up our careers and much of our lifestyle because our lives have been invaded by illness. We are also told that we may suffer loss, pain or death as a result of our love for God. In short, the result of sin is that we must bear grief upon grief throughout the course of our lives on earth. It can be overwhelming; however, the amount of devastation depends on our love and enjoyment of God. When we truly love and delight in God, we remember first God’s love for us, Christ’s sacrifice and that our acceptance of that love and gift have united us with Him forever in a loving bond. Further, just as Christ tells us that we must endure tribulations in this world, He also instructs us that we He has overcome the world and, as a result we can have peace. (John 16:33)
Hope and peace are byproducts of the love truly enjoying God. When we enter into a relationship with our Lord, His love invades our lives, surrounds us and holds us up. Because He loves us: He is always with us (Joshua 1:9, Psalm 34:18), He never leaves us (Deuteronomy 31:6), He comforts us (Matthew 5:4); He strengthens us (Philippians 4:13, Isaiah 40:29); and He provides endurance and patience (Colossians 1:11). Not only is God love (1 John 4:8) but He is also the God of hope who fills us with joy and peace as we trust Him so that we overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13). In this life we will suffer trials and grief, but through the love of God we are sustained so that we are filled with both hope and peace to the extent that we can also be joyful.
But it doesn’t end there. As the passage above explains, in the ages to come He will continue to show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 1 Peter 1:3-6 promises that we have been born into a “living hope” and that we now have inheritance in heaven waiting for us that will never perish, spoil, or fade. Further we are told “when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57) Whether in death or when Christ returns, we will be reunited with all of those who died in Christ and we will receive our inheritance that is “imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away”.
Not only do I understand this from scripture, but I have seen it at work in my own life. I certainly face trials differently now than I did when I was younger because I have seen God’s at work in every circumstance and have come to rely on His goodness and faithfulness and desire that He would be glorified. The same is true with respect to my grief. At the age of 19 I was in an accident with some friends that claimed the life of our driver; in my mid-thirties as illness began to significantly invade my own life, my college roommate died after a brief battle with colon cancer. Both of these deaths were incredibly difficult for me despite my faith and theirs, yet with the latter God gave me the promise of Psalm 116:15: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones”. God further helped me with the death of my mother which was also trying. As they prepared her body for burial following the funeral, Psalm 23 was playing, however, the moment they locked the casket closed, the music broke into Psalm 146…“Hallelujah! Praise Jehovah! O my soul, Jehovah Praise!” It was God’s way of letting me know that she was safely with Him. I have said goodbye to many more who are dear to me in the 22 years since my mother’s death. While there is still pain and grief, I have learned to look beyond the grave to the hope of eternity and the reunion therein. I also now recognize that it is God calling His children home in love. Last fall at the age of 60, I said goodbye to a very dear friend and it was very different experience from when I was 19 years old. As we hugged to say goodbye, his last words to me were “See you on the other side.” As difficult as the situation was, it was a great blessing that we could both acknowledge our hope God and His promises for eternity. That very simple act of faith on both our parts has brought much comfort and peace. Through the love of God I have learned to look past the sting of death to eternity and am beginning to not only love God but to bask in the enjoyment of that relationship. I pray that you may do the same.
The passage that KLove offered as I began my daily routine was Psalm 143:8. “Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; for I trust in You; teach me the way in which I should walk; for to You I lift up my soul.” The love of God does not eliminate our pain and grief in this life, but when we trust Him and allow the Holy Spirit to instruct and guide us, it provides the strength to endure while filling us with hope allowing our souls to find peace and joy amidst the sadness.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
Will