Cancer Blog #40
By Brian Zimmerman
Begun on July 31, 2021
Email: dyingman1@yahoo.com
My Dying Words
Entry #40 – No Grumbling about Death
May 21, 2022
[Psa 51:17 NASB95] 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
Death is not easy to bear. It is surprising to us for some reason, as if we believed that we were going to live forever in this age. Operating under some strange delusion, we act as if – though we say otherwise – that we will never die. But, the fact is, at some point, now or in the near future, we truly are going to die. But, because we live in a culture that avoids the thought of our own personal death, we can avoid thinking of our end, as if it would never arrive, which is why it is such a shock when it finally does! We live as if each day would lead into the next, pretending that they are an endless stream that will continue from now on until we are ready for them to stop. As Christians we have to know that is nothing but foolishness.
But, what this passage in the Psalms warns us against is not deluding ourselves that death would never come, but against grumbling against anything, including our impending death. When we receive our terminal diagnosis (assuming we are granted that mercy), the worst thing we could do, as Christians, is to complain about our expected end. I saw it many times when I was working as a PT in home health care. As I said above, because people gave so little – if any! – thought to their or their spouse’s or parent’s, etc., personal death, when its time did finally arrive, they were completely unprepared. And, their reaction at that point was usually one of not just shock, but anger, as if they had been betrayed by God or the universe, as if death was not a fact that had been staring them in the face since the day of their birth. It was never a question of if, only one of when. But, we as believers need not proud or angry hearts, rather humble and contrite ones. God expects us to accept the fact of our impending death as we should receive every other event in this world, as a part of His plan, and not to complain that our death is messing up our plan. Our prayer should always be: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done.” Does that not mean that God is the Lord not only of our life, but also of our death? We live in a time that avoids thoughts of personal death and so begin to adjust to, to accommodate that viewpoint. But, the Scriptures teach us that every day is a gift that we are to use for God’s glory, without grumbling or complaining, no matter what comes to pass, even if it might be our last day, or the beginning of the end.
Accept your notice of death for what it is – a part of the plan of God for you, in its time, place, method, and fact. Don’t grumble or complain against it. Rejoice that you now have the opportunity to display the glory of God as you’ve never had before. God has given you this time to test, to try, and to show your faith. Don’t fail to do that!
Next: Resurrection and Life