Tidbits of Truth: When Calamity Comes…
I wish it was where that I could give the assurance to people (and especially to Christian people) that tragedy, sorrows, and the loss of those whom we so deeply love…that these are distresses that we are all exempt from…but unfortunately, I cannot.
And for those of you that have been around for any period of time, you already know the sober truth of the Realities of Life- no matter how good of a person you might well be, your goodness will not exempt you from heartache or sorrow.
This past week, I drove a 1,000 miles to go and lay my Father to rest. I could hardly believe it when I got the call, a fire had swept thru his home, and he was unable to make it out alive.
I remembered my Dad when he used to live in sin, and I also remembered what a change God had made in his life. After Dad committed his life to Jesus, my Dad became a “very godly man.” And it was he, “above all others” that had been the overwhelming influence in my own life in accepting Christ as my own personal Savior.
As I made that long and arduous journey back to where he had once resided, I had a multitude of hours to reflect on what words could I possibly say that might bring comfort to others who were grieving at his loss, especially as I struggled in my own mind to find peace for my own soul.
For in dealing with death, I am no different than anyone else; death and sorrow still tears at the fabric of our heart just as much as it does all others. And although I’ve been in ministry for well over 40 years, and although I’ve had to deal with the death and the loss of so many that I have loved so dearly, yet, I still have not found some immunity that inoculates me from contracting a broken heart.
Nevertheless…down in the depths of my spirit, I suddenly found comfort and peace in the only source that comfort and peace can come from…and His name is Jesus.
For even at my Dad's passing, I had the assurance that he was in a better place; all that he had to suffer and endure while living life in this world, why for him (and every Believer) this is as bad as it gets. You see, for a Christian, when we breathe that final breath, it’s not our end…IT SIMPLY SIGNALS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW AND BETTER LIFE…AND ONE THAT LASTS FOREVER! Paul said, “To be absent in the body is to be present with the Lord.” So I know with calm assurance that Dad is finally with the Savior that he so loved and adored.
On the day of my Dad’s funeral, God extended to me His grace and His strength in an unprecedented way, as the Lord helped me to say what I know needed to be said. And if my Dad had been there, I sure hope it would have made him proud. But I knew he wasn’t there, for he’d already made his journey home.
And yes, I still shed hot tears at our temporary separation. I still struggled with the fact that on this earth, Dad and I would never have another conversation, and I’d never again be able to hug his neck and remind him again about how much that I loved him and how much that I thanked God for sending him to be my Dad.
Maybe you’re in that struggle of your own today. So before I close, let me encourage you with this, and especially to those of you who are also struggling with the loss of those you love.
God…in His time…has the power to bring healing to every hurting heart, no matter how badly we may be broken… and no matter how deep we may have been wounded by our sufferings or our loss.
Jesus never promised any of us that there would not be times that bad things would not come our way, for we all live in a sinful world, and the curses caused by sin, at times, do negatively affect us all.
Nevertheless, Jesus “DID” promise us this: He promised us that, “He would never leave us or forsake us, but that He would go with us, even to the ends of the world.” And He did that so none of us would ever have to face our sorrows, sufferings, or our losses alone…Thank God for His “Amazing Grace!”
Just a Thought,
Pastor Ken Jones
I wish it was where that I could give the assurance to people (and especially to Christian people) that tragedy, sorrows, and the loss of those whom we so deeply love…that these are distresses that we are all exempt from…but unfortunately, I cannot.
And for those of you that have been around for any period of time, you already know the sober truth of the Realities of Life- no matter how good of a person you might well be, your goodness will not exempt you from heartache or sorrow.
This past week, I drove a 1,000 miles to go and lay my Father to rest. I could hardly believe it when I got the call, a fire had swept thru his home, and he was unable to make it out alive.
I remembered my Dad when he used to live in sin, and I also remembered what a change God had made in his life. After Dad committed his life to Jesus, my Dad became a “very godly man.” And it was he, “above all others” that had been the overwhelming influence in my own life in accepting Christ as my own personal Savior.
As I made that long and arduous journey back to where he had once resided, I had a multitude of hours to reflect on what words could I possibly say that might bring comfort to others who were grieving at his loss, especially as I struggled in my own mind to find peace for my own soul.
For in dealing with death, I am no different than anyone else; death and sorrow still tears at the fabric of our heart just as much as it does all others. And although I’ve been in ministry for well over 40 years, and although I’ve had to deal with the death and the loss of so many that I have loved so dearly, yet, I still have not found some immunity that inoculates me from contracting a broken heart.
Nevertheless…down in the depths of my spirit, I suddenly found comfort and peace in the only source that comfort and peace can come from…and His name is Jesus.
For even at my Dad's passing, I had the assurance that he was in a better place; all that he had to suffer and endure while living life in this world, why for him (and every Believer) this is as bad as it gets. You see, for a Christian, when we breathe that final breath, it’s not our end…IT SIMPLY SIGNALS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW AND BETTER LIFE…AND ONE THAT LASTS FOREVER! Paul said, “To be absent in the body is to be present with the Lord.” So I know with calm assurance that Dad is finally with the Savior that he so loved and adored.
On the day of my Dad’s funeral, God extended to me His grace and His strength in an unprecedented way, as the Lord helped me to say what I know needed to be said. And if my Dad had been there, I sure hope it would have made him proud. But I knew he wasn’t there, for he’d already made his journey home.
And yes, I still shed hot tears at our temporary separation. I still struggled with the fact that on this earth, Dad and I would never have another conversation, and I’d never again be able to hug his neck and remind him again about how much that I loved him and how much that I thanked God for sending him to be my Dad.
Maybe you’re in that struggle of your own today. So before I close, let me encourage you with this, and especially to those of you who are also struggling with the loss of those you love.
God…in His time…has the power to bring healing to every hurting heart, no matter how badly we may be broken… and no matter how deep we may have been wounded by our sufferings or our loss.
Jesus never promised any of us that there would not be times that bad things would not come our way, for we all live in a sinful world, and the curses caused by sin, at times, do negatively affect us all.
Nevertheless, Jesus “DID” promise us this: He promised us that, “He would never leave us or forsake us, but that He would go with us, even to the ends of the world.” And He did that so none of us would ever have to face our sorrows, sufferings, or our losses alone…Thank God for His “Amazing Grace!”
Just a Thought,
Pastor Ken Jones
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