WHY LORD? WHY?
This 3 part devotion is Dedicated to my Best Friends that have lost a dear Nephew in his 20’s and to all the rest of us that have lost a young person in their lives.
When you loose a loved one–We don’t come with any glib answers. Let’s face it. This is tough stuff. We’re stunned. We’re hurting. We don’t understand.
Some of US are searching for answers. I have learned that it’s OK to ask those questions. It’s natural and good to wonder why death happens.
Grief is never an easy burden to bear – and never more so when it comes to us in what we can only regard as an untimely fashion. It causes to arise within us many questions – questions about ourselves and what we might or might not have done to make things different – questions about the one we loved and just what it was that he/she experienced during all their days – and questions about God and God’s goodness.
1 Corinthians 15:22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.
Grief and loss will affect our overall health naturally. But prevention can lead to depression or excessive addictive behavior. Denying ourselves proper grieving will also interfere with our daily life. Changing the routines that allow us to live such as being a parent, a friend, co-worker etc.
Crying is a normal and natural part of grieving. It has also been found, however, that crying and talking about the loss is not the only healthy response and, if forced or excessive, can be harmful.
Can we prevent Grief? “NO” Grief should not be prevented because it is a healthy response to loss. Instead, it should be respected. Those who are grieving should have support to help them through the process. If we try and prevent grief we can develop serious health issues. Genuine laughter is one of the healthiest ways to treat a grieving person.
The grief that we experience over the loss of a loved one is understandable, but we should rejoice that they will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment, and ascend to heaven just as Jesus did.
The physical bodies that we have are temporal. Just as our time on earth is limited, the physical life will end.
The Spirit, however will live forever if we live as God would have us live and are faithful to His teachings. The physical death is not the end; it is the beginning of a joyously life without end.
Romans 8:18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.
2 Corinthians 4:14 We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you.
When in such grief – carrying a burden that not only seems to be, but in fact is, overwhelming. Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, knew such grief when he walked among us, he understood and took upon Himself our pain and our sorrow, our sin and our guilt, our fear and our anger, and – in the end Jesus died our death.
But then something special happened – something that Jesus believed would happen, hoped would happen, trusted would happen. Jesus rose to life again – a new and glorious life – a life which he said, before he died – that he would share with all who came to Him. It was with such a faith in God and what God would accomplish through Him, that Jesus said to His disciples before His death and His Resurrection: “Come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
*We, in our grief, in our pain, in our anger, in our doubt, in our confusion, come to ask God to take our burden from us and give us in it’s place the burden Christ spoke of.
We come in the hope that the shadow of death might be turned into the light of a new day. We come to ask God to be merciful to us and grant us new life. New life here – and the new life Jesus spoke of in the heavenly places above. Our HomeLand is in Heaven.
Our compassionate Lord never fails those of us who are grieving. I truly do not know how any would get through these circumstances without Faith and without Friends and Family lifting them up in Prayer and their unconditional Love!
Psalms 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? Verse 4 The one thing I ask of the LORD— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD’S perfections and meditating in his Temple.
* When Christ is our life regardless of the circumstances we have a consistent Savior who will ALWAYS be there for us.
Philippians 3:21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control. *Hope in Heaven results in Holy Living!!!
*The greatest “WHY” in the Bible was uttered by the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross when He said “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46
*Because Jesus gave himself on the Cross, we can trust Him to have answers to ALL our other “WHY’S”.
2 Corinthians 1:4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.
God’s steadfast character and everlasting Name are calling to listen carefully. * A call to our mind—to which thoughts respond. * A call to our heart—to which emotions respond. * A call to our will—to which actions respond.
* Our Great Physician makes better our physical and emotional needs. (Exodus 15:26). We respond … I will ungrasp my heart for You to Heal me Lord!!!!!
*When troubles call, we respond by putting our faith, hope, and love in Jesus. And around every corner and with every birth, and death, and life lived in between, we continue to call on the Only Name of the One who is faithful. JESUS!
One thing we do know: The death of a believer Does Not seem as tragic to God as it does to us.
To us it is separation and sorrow. To God it is:
1. A promotion.
2. A release from the Burdens of earth.
3. Early Furlough from the Battle Zone.
4. Relocation to a better climate.
5. Instant transport to the Celestial City.
6. To depart and be with Christ, which is far better then Human mind can think.
7. To be absent from the body BUT Present with the Lord!
8. The place Jesus prepared.
*John 14: 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.
A person doesn’t cease to exist at death; he simply leaves his earthly body.
*Our Loved one has beaten us to heaven and is more alive than ever, for God is not a God of the dead, but of the Living. We don’t understand all of God’s purposes, But we know HE doesALL things well, and we must simply leave it there, In His LOVE!
Revelation 21:4 He (God) will wipe every tear form their eyes, and there will be NO more death or sorrow or crying or pain. ALL these things are Gone Forever.”
I’ve learned long ago that it’s really senseless to either accuse God or to try to defend Him in these situations. But neither is it sinful to question God. Some of us are wondering why God would allow this to happen. It’s OK for us to ask these kinds of questions.
Ecclesiastes 3:2 reminds us that there is a Time to be born and a Time to die. While we don’t understand the why’s, we do know it is always God’s perfect timing.
In the shortest verse in the entire Bible-surrounded by family and friends, Jesus is deeply moved and asks where the body of Lazarus is. When he views Lazarus, he could have said something extremely profound. Instead, John 11:35 tells us what Jesus did — “he wept.”
Here is Jesus of Nazareth, the world’s most complete, most perfect man, attending the funeral of a friend and openly weeping, without embarrassment, without apology. In fact, those watching him said, “See how much he loved him!”
If you feel like crying over your loss, don’t hold back. If it was OK for Jesus to cry, it’s OK for you and me to cry. God feels our pain — he wants you to let it out — and to let Him in on your feelings.
*Jesus wants to help you work through everything you’re feeling.
*Jesus wants to be a part of your life.
*God knows what it’s like to hurt. One day He lost a family member too, His one and only son JESUS.
I have a question for you today. Where will you go when it’s your time to die?
‘May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace.’ Amen
(Numbers6:24-26)
End of part one-see tomorrow for part 2.