Death Defying Faith
Finding ourselves walking through the final events of Holy Week, most of us prefer to vault from seeing Jesus around the table with his closest circle to the glory-filled, Sunday morning, resurrection. We opt to squeeze all the middle events into a little box in the corner of our minds, casting them a mere sideways glance. The box contains, in the least, dreadfulness. In the extreme, gruesome horror, depending on our willingness to recount all He suffered leading up to and including the crucifixion.
But, there could be no miracle of Christ being raised from the dead without, well, His death. Without the sacrifice of the perfect, sinless Son of God, the path to salvation would crumble, all hope would shrivel, and yearning for eternal life with our Creator would dissipate.
We do not crave to consider or deal with death. Almost everyone has engaged, to some degree, death’s companions, pain and grief. We know the awfulness of someone suffering through disease. Or the brutality of a sudden, tragic loss of life. With intentional effort, we avoid focusing on these situations. Yet, at some point, death is everyone’s reality. Our only means to move from mortality into immortality; from the clock ticking-off our numbered days to life eternal. And so we live in the tension of not wanting to think about death and the knowledge that indeed we will face the experience.
Our enemy, the father of lies, wants us to fear death. He intended our physical demise to be the end of the story. He intended for Death to separate us from Life. The enemy points to death and says, “See? See the pain and heartache death causes in your life? Live it up girlfriend because all you have is now. When this life’s over, that’s all she wrote.” (Major lie)
But Truth points to Death and says, “See? See what My Father conquered in My resurrection? He turned what Satan intended as an end, into a bursting with glory-and-life beginning. He transformed the dark hole of death into the doorway for you to come fully into My Presence.”
That God turned death, intended to separate mankind from Himself, into the very door opening to eternal life changes everything. As believers, our perspective of death, then, shakes off dread, avoidance and fear. Because of our resurrected Savior, Christ Jesus, death transforms into a beautiful and hope-inspiring event; the moment we pass through the door we enter into a never-ending life, experiencing a place He prepared for us where tears, death, mourning, crying and pain do not exist. (Revelation 21:4)
With this knowledge, should we not be standing at the door anxious to step through when the Lord wills our time to do so? I have not yet faced death’s door, but walked in close step beside someone who did.
His calling as a husband and father of two young sons put him in a place of great conflict to fight his disease, longing to keep living. Yet, he embraced the gospel and loved the Lord. So no doubt lingers, when the door of death cracked open before him, he felt no fear. For instead of dark nothingness, he took in the face of his Savior, the Light of the World, and the glory beyond awaiting him. Without hesitation, he pushed through the door of death with joy, his soul throbbing with the now tangible truth of the scripture, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? But thanks be to God! He has given me the victory through my Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Corinthians 15:55, 57)
A paradox arises as we long for eternity with God, yet cling to this life. Leaning into the lie we are losing everything, along with the uncertainty of passing through the door prompts our anxiety; and, perhaps, because we lack knowledge and understanding of the amazing realities of Heaven. We need to light the fire of our longings with a dive into the treasures in Scripture (see list below), piecing together a glimpse of the glorious worship, true fellowship, grand adventure, and a canvas of color and creation unimaginable awaiting us in Heaven.
Rather than clinging to the temporal, we pray for the ability to live each day of this gift of life to its fullest; faithfully following Jesus while enjoying the blessings granted to us. And, at the same time, to nurture and experience a deep longing to leap through death’s door into the indescribable glory and joy of living in His presence. For. Ever.
“Humanity must embrace death freely,
submit to it with total humility,
drink it to the dregs,
and so convert it into that mystical death,
which is the secret of life”. – C.S. Lewis
Acknowledging we are:
–saved from death permanently separating us from God, and
–offered a forever new life in the presence of our Abba Father,
turns our resurrection Sunday into a blow-the-roof-off, joy-filled, life-pulsing celebration. He is risen indeed!
And so shall we. Blessed be His Name.
The link below connects to a video of the song “Hymn of Heaven”, by Phil Wickham. The lyrics are important, but also prompt a worship celebration because the words ring with thrilling truth.
Extra note: If you have any doubt concerning where you will spend eternity, either living eternally in the presence of God or forever cast away from His presence, consider the message of the gospel: God loves you so much that He gave His only Son. If you believe in Him as Lord of your life, you will not perish but be given eternal life. How? In humility, bow before Him in faith, confess how lost you are without Him, express your desire to turn from sin and to love and follow Him. Then receive His great love and mercy as He welcomes you as His own. In that moment, you will receive the gift of His Spirit to walk with you, teach and guide you.
Tell someone who is a believer of the decision you have made so they can answer questions you have and suggest next steps for your walk with Jesus. (I would love to hear from you: revablaker@gmail.com) And go live the rest of your life free from the bondage of sin and committed to His way. With one eye on the incredible gift of eternal life with Him. Hallelujah!
Scripture to start your “light my fire of longing for heaven and eternity with God”:
Revelation 4:2-3 Revelations 5:9-13 Revelation 21:1–7
Revelation 21:10–27 Revelation 22:1–5. Psalm 16:11
Isaiah 25:8-9 Luke 23:42–43 John 14:2–4
Philippians 3:20-21 Colossians 3:1-4 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
Photo by Sebastien Gabriel on Unsplash
