Psalm 22
Jeremiah 29: 1, 4-13
Romans 11: 13-24
John 11: 1-27 or 12: 1-10
The finality of death is a wall, as frightening as it is impenetrable. Each of us lives with the knowledge that some day will be our last, and that death will come. We all have different ways of dealing with this fact, but the common denominator is a sense of unintentional denial. We push it out of our minds, and in this way rob death of its power over us. And while it would be unhealthy to deny its eventuality, it is perfectly healthy to not dwell upon it. Doing otherwise would be morbid. We are blessed with the ability to live most of our days without fear of death. This is God’s gift to us and it is by His grace that we move through the world with smiles on our faces and laughter in our hearts.
We are faced with joy and tragedy alike, but God has destroyed death forever. He has exposed its power as a pretender and presented us instead with an eternity of life.
Mark E. Ramey, Jr.