Fear of Dying

May 14, 2015

Fear of Dying

In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.

Luke 22:44 NRSV

I have been in a season of grief. In the last few months friends have died and others have received cancer diagnoses. Recently, two of my friends both mentioned to me that they were trusting in Jesus’ promise: “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places . . .  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2-3 NRSV). For the Christian, it is not death we fear, our fear is dying. While some may go quietly into the night, and still others die very quickly, for many others, dying is encompassed in illness, pain, dependency and loneliness.

While serving as a pastor I was present with many, many people as they died. I learned that there is no easy, 1-2-3 formula that makes dying less fearful. I also learned that we tend to die the way we lived. Our faith, our life in Christ makes the journey with us. Those who did not seek the comfort of Christ, and of scripture during the course of their lives, seldom look for Christ in their final days. For those taking the road less traveled, and who are seeking to make the life in Christ their way of life, I can offer two assurances for the certain time when we face our own dying.

First, always, always, always remember you are not alone! As Saint Luke so eloquently observed, Jesus was overwrought at the prospect of his own dying. Remember, Jesus faced the same trials we do. (Hebrews 4:15) Also, remember that as Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Father sent angels to comfort him in his time of trial. (Luke 22:43) Those same angels also comforted Jesus during his wilderness experience. (Matthew 2:19-21) Because you are an heir of God, a joint heir with Jesus, you too can rightfully expect the Father’s angels to come and comfort you in your hour of need.     

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms is available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ is available as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.