After
we buried my father, and traveled back home to Kansas from Ohio, death visited
again. Within days, I found myself
standing next to a friend in a hospital bed who had just lost her husband in a
horrific vehicle accident, where she also received multiple injuries. No one is immune. If you are in a situation like this, where
can you find hope in this New Year? As
you see others dancing the night away and having good times with family and
friends, you may feel an emptiness, because a spouse or parent is gone and not
coming back.
On
that November Monday night, at 10:00 p.m., I received a call I will never
forget. My mother, in shock and in the
deepest of tears told me dad was gone. As
I hit the floor in overwhelming despair, nearly 1,000 miles away, I was soon
drawn to pick up my Bible. I flipped to
1 Corinthians 15:54-55 and read it for myself and to my mom and sisters via
cell phone, “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death where is your victory? O
death, where is your sting.” Within
minutes, Jesus’ relationship with me and His Word were giving me grace filled
hope. The hurt did not stop, or the
tears dry up. Even so, Jesus and His
Word became my Rock. My refuge. My sustaining hope.
Furthermore,
additional hope was found in the story of my father’s life. On
September 3, 1972, during the last night of a series of camp meeting services
in New York, he surrendered to Jesus and became a new man, and then a year
later was called by God to be a pastor.
For 34 years my dad pastored churches throughout the Great Plains and
Midwest.
Knowing dad trusted Jesus as His Lord and Savior and
served Him gives me hope. The grace of
God that saved him, kept him and took him to his eternal home, assures me, that
one day by that same grace, I will see him again. Jesus’ relationship with me, His holy Word
and the life-changing story of my dad is my sustaining hope.
If you are facing death or grieving someone who has
died where is your hope? Start out 2018
with a commitment to Christ. Let His
grace wash you clean of all you have ever done wrong. Surrender your life to Him. Time is short. Do it now.
Live each day to its fullest for the glory of God and the good of
others.
A
prayer for you to pray – Lord God, as I
walk through this valley of grief and pain, be my hope. Forgive me of all my sins and become my hope
for today and all eternity. Teach me your
Word that through it you will become my solid rock. In Jesus name. Amen.
