In the midst of life there is death

In the midst of life there is death.

This week two of our friends died. It was rather sudden but at least we know where they have gone. We may be sad to be separated for a while but we know we will be reunited soon.

The disciples on that first Good Friday had no such assurance. Jesus had told them often

enough that he would be crucified and would be raised from the dead but somehow it just hadn’t sunk in. They must have been devastated to see their Lord and Master crucified like a common criminal.

Grief and unimaginable bewilderment must have hung heavily upon them.  Jesus was dead. There was no expectation of resurrection. No eager waiting for the third day. Just despair that all their hopes and dreams had been nailed to the cross with Jesus.

Even when the news of Jesus’ resurrection began to filter through to the disciples they were very reluctant to believe it. Mark’s gospel tells us that Jesus came and rebuked them for ‘their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen’.

How patient Jesus was with them. Finally they got it.  The day of Pentecost came and those timid disciples were transformed into bold, brave ministers of the Gospel. Thousands were saved and great miracles flowed through them.

Today, as we celebrate Easter, we have the wonderful assurance that though we remember with great sadness Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins and iniquities, we also rejoice that death could not hold the perfect Son of God. He has indeed risen.

When our friends went to be with Jesus, it was not the end. It is the beginning of a new eternal life – that great gift from a loving, patient God to a sinful, rebellious people. I know that our friends are with him because they accepted that gift. Their sins are forgiven, the slate wiped clean and so we know they have gone to heaven.

However that free gift has to be accepted individually by each one of us. There is no other way by which we can enter eternal life with him.  Death may be with us in the midst of life but through Jesus life after death with him is available to all who would call on the Lord and be saved.

All I have needed your hand hath provided

For several days God has been speaking to me about his faithfulness and prodding me to listen to the old hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness.  Although I listened, I did not hear. Eventually I was concentrating enough to hear All I have need thy hand hath provided which sank into my brain and spirit. 

So often our upbringing and past circumstances can continue to negatively affect us years later even after we have been born again into our new life in Christ. I was watching an early episode of Call the Midwife and an elderly brother and sister could never really shake off their workhouse upbringing.  For the Israelites, God may have brought them out from slavery in Egypt in one night but it took much longer to get Egypt out of the Israelites. For years they continued to behave like slaves.

When my husband and I became Christians over 30 years ago, we were in debt and very poor at money management.  Over the years we learned to be better stewards and givers of the money we had but we always seemed to be bumping along the bottom of the pond. We had enough – just. Gradually as we learned to trust God more and more, things continued to improve.

However a few weeks ago, I realised that my old fears of never having enough were still lurking in my heart. In a multi storey car park, I reversed our car into a large pillar. I just hadn’t been looking carefully enough.  There was a big dent on the back bumper and the rear light fixing was smashed. I was distraught.  I knew we could probably afford to have the car repaired but it was just such a waste. Why should my husband or God have to pay for my carelessness?

I kept confessing that God was our provider and even though I now know all will be well and we wont go into debt over this, God wanted to deal with my deep seated fear of not having enough.  Finally the truth of All I have need thy hand hath provided hit home.

God does not want to provide just those things necessary for life nor even for those ‘extras’ that his grace and kindness want to bless us with. He is our provider for everything – including repairs to our car due my lack of attention. I can trust God’s provision for everything because it all comes from him in the first place. As the Matt Redman song says:

We have nothing to give that did not first come from your heart

We have nothing to offer you that you did not provide

Every good, prefect gift comes from your kind and gracious heart

And all we do is give back to you what always has been yours.

Everything comes from God and what we do is spend it, use it or give it. God is not like an expenses account that will cover some things but not others.  God covers it all – the good things, the bad things and the stupid things.  He will constantly help us be better stewards because he can then trust us with more which will bless us and others. That has been our experience but God knew that fear still lay hidden in my heart.

As Joyce Meyer said Fear always tells you what you’re not, what you don’t have, what you can’t do, and what you never will be. God wants us free from all fear so we are free to love and free to give.  It may take a pillar in a car park but God is constantly working to liberate us from the fears of our past.