'A Living Hope'

 

My Dad is no longer here.


It's a month today since he departed from this earth and went home to be with his Lord. It's been an amazing time of reflecting back on memories, and the support and thoughtfulness of so many people has been overwhelming. I'm down Dunedin for all of July to spend time with my mother as we all adjust to life without my Dad. I think I've adjusted fairly quickly to the fact he won't be around any more, having had a good few years while he was battling the illness to be prepared for that reality. Sometimes though, things just hit me again: No longer will we have walks together through the mountains marveling at God's glory revealed in creation. No longer will we sit in the sunshine together and chat for hours and hours about everything under the sun, occasionally savoring a strong brew of fresh plunger coffee and some fresh home-made baking. No longer will we discuss together various passages of Scripture and their implication for our lives. No longer will we work together in the fields or garden, and later retire to the house at the end of the day to enjoy a long cool drink. No longer will I have the privilege of serving in a local church alongside him. No longer will we together laugh or cry, play or talk, sit or work or pray. I think the thing that hits me hardest is the realisation Dad won't be there on my marriage day, when I have children, and those other significant occasions in the future.

But at the end of it all, many of life's circumstances are out of our control. We go through times and seasons, none of which is new at all - everything under the sun has already been seen and done! (Ecclesiastes 1:9, 3:1-8) And the reality is we will all face physical death at the end of it all. And everyone at some point goes through losing loved ones. Our attitude and outlook in the midst of that time is different for each one though. Especially important is our attitude towards God. Will we continue to trust in His character as revealed in the pages of Scripture? Will we draw closer to God or distance ourselves from Him? Will we see these times of hardship and grief as opportunities to actually grow in our character, have our faith refined and strengthened,  increase our dependence on God and prayerfulness, and cultivate an even deeper relationship and love for our Saviour?

Some may say my Dad's death was a bit premature. Perhaps from a human perspective yes it would seem so. But I would point them to Psalm 139:16, where we read "....all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Notice every day we have on earth is according to God's plan before we even were born. He knows the day our life will start, and the day it will end - it's not a surprise to Him at all. Everything is completely in God's sovereign control. Even the sufferings and hardships we face on this earth. Remember what God used to cause the initial spread of the gospel and early Christianity? He used the persecution of the Jerusalem church! (Acts 8:1,4) And remember what God used to accomplish salvation for people from every tribe and tongue and nation on earth? He used the cruel suffering, abandonment and evil murder of His own precious Son! (Acts 2:23) So God allows and uses all circumstances, good and bad, for His own purposes. Somehow. And we won't fully comprehend how in this life. We just have to trust Him at His own Word. "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

Yes I miss my father greatly. We weren't just father and son - but also great companions, friends, and brothers in Christ. I miss his company, wisdom, leadership, sound advice, fellowship, fun, joy, adventurous spirit, contentment, humour, selfless and caring nature, love for God, and example. I miss him. But each time I think about Dad, the Lord reminds me of the intimate fellowship he is sharing with Jesus right now. As Paul says, it isn't just better to be in heaven with Christ, but better by far! (Philippians 1:23) I believe that's true. Do you?  

These words were written by the apostle Peter. They were read at my Dad's funeral:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:3-7)

I'd never fully let their truth and impact sink into my heart, but these last two months, these words have become so incredibly real. We truly have a hope that isn't dead, but living! The death of someone close really makes you more aware and mindful of eternal things. The living hope we as Christians have has been in the forefront of my mind whenever I think about my Dad. It's not a far off, mystical, hopeful hope. It's a concrete, true, certain and sure, completely real, and amazingly incredible hope. And it's given my Mum and I such a great measure of peace and joy, which in human terms doesn't make any sense at all during these sorts of times. A 'living hope'. Think about it. Reflect on it. Meditate on it. Learn more about it in the Bible. Trust in it and let it transform you. I've found that it's given me more of a passion to live every day to the full for God's glory and not my own, as a faithful Servant (still very much a growing process). The question must be asked of each one of us - what are we living for, or rather who are we living for?

Let us not forget, this eternal life with Christ is a sure hope that we can rest everything on. The one who promises this hope is God Himself. And though people may fail and at many times are unfaithful, God will never fail and He will remain forever faithful!

Good and Wise

God is good.
God is wise.

These are simple statements. But simple statements are often the most amazing and wonderful truths, profound and rich. These are realities that every Christian ought not only declare, but believe wholeheartedly in. And for large periods of our lives, they seemingly aren't a problem to accept. The real crux comes when the follower of Christ comes headlong into times of turbulence, trial, or pain (and if you're one of God's children, these testing times are to be expected - after all, that's how we grow in maturity in our faith and become more like Christ Jesus). When events happen that are difficult to bear, or suffering comes within the sphere of our own lives - will we at that time still confidently believe these statements?

Because He is good, and He is wise. Whatever the circumstances, and whatever the state of the sinful world we live in. How do we know? Because He declares that it is so. God has spoken to us and revealed His character through the pages of the Bible. And time and time again, we see His goodness and wisdom. Read each of these verses (only a small selection) and ask: do I believe what God says about His own nature here or not? Ultimately God is who He is. We can only have a right or wrong understanding of Him. 


 “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting” (Psalm 107:1).

“Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!” (Psalm 31:19).

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11).

“With Him are wisdom and might; To Him belong counsel and understanding” (Job 12:13).

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” (Romans 11:33)

“Great is our Lord, and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:5).

“Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him” (Daniel 2:20).

A real test as to whether we do truly believe in God's goodness and wisdom, not only intellectually, but in our hearts (with our whole beings), is when trials come. This demonstrates whether our belief was genuine or not. And we must take a step back and recognise that this faith and settled confidence in God's being is also a gift of God that we can't just muster up ourselves - it is graciously given to us not because of our merit or worth but because of God's mercy and love towards us (Ephesians 2:8-9). In other words: if I believe in God and His goodness and wisdom, it's because He's given me the faith to believe, and opened my eyes to understand the Scriptures and come to a knowledge of Himself. May that be one of our petitions in prayer for those we know who don't presently believe in God. He is all powerful! And desires all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4)

Trusting in God's goodness and wisdom through all circumstances, on the bright days and the more gloomy, brings such a deep peace and comfort and security - that really defies explanation. It allows us to persevere and continue walking with strength that doesn't come from ourselves. It allows us to have a constant attitude of thanksgiving to God, even when there's seemingly nothing in our outward circumstances that seems worthy of being thankful for (yet there always is, we simply lose focus of spiritual realities). And more importantly, when we're constantly trusting in God's goodness and wisdom, it too brings our heavenly Father great glory. And what a motivation that is! We can rest in confidence that God knows what's best in all situations and occasions, and that His goodness and righteousness remain constant in all He does (even allowing suffering to come for our spiritual growth, out of His Fatherly love - Hebrews 12:3-11). Let's not forget too that God has already shown such goodness, mercy, patience and love toward us in giving His Son to die in our place, bearing our sins in His body (2 Peter 2:24) - this amazing salvation being in the wisdom and eternal plan of God also.

So let this be an encouragement (and perhaps a reminder). May we bring honour to our God, the only God. And may we boldly confess, and have faith in our inner being that:


God is good.
God is wise.