Shadow Walk

This has been one of those weeks when nearly every day I have been dealing with death and dying. The harsh reality of the brevity of life and the certainty of death has reared its ugly head much too often. This would be very depressing if it were not for the fact that as Christian's face the prospect of death, they alone have real hope. Perhaps the one question that has always entered into the minds of men is the one voiced by Job thousands of years ago when he asked, "If a man die, will he live again?" In effect, he was asking - Is this world all there is to human existence, or is there life beyond what we know and see? The answer to that question is of course the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We have been promised by the Lord God that we can have eternal life if we will turn from our sin and our selves and turn to Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior. Jesus answered the question Himself when He was giving his farewell address to His disciples in John chapter 14. He first told them that where was a realm of existence beyond these earthly boundaries, a place the Bible calls heaven. “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:1-3) Jesus then assured the disciples that it was possible for them to be in heaven in verse 6: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
Then in verse 19 He gave the answer to Job's question: "A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live you will live also."
King David of Israel wrote a Psalm many years before the time of Jesus under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit which alluded to this hope that we have in Christ. He made this statement in the 23rd Psalm that has been a source of comfort and hope for generations: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."

Note that David speaks of the "shadow of death." There is great significance for the Christian in that statement.  You see, the shadow of a dog cannot bite, the shadow of a gun cannot kill, and the shadow of death cannot harm the child of God. That’s because where we have a shadow we have two other things – a substance and a light. The substance of death is to be forsaken by God. It is to die without the Shepherd, to die without knowing Christ. And for there to be a shadow, there must also be a light. It is the light shining on the substance that casts the shadow. This is what makes the difference between the death of a believer and the death of an unbeliever. The unbeliever goes out in the dark. Jesus spoke of that one time and said, “How great is that darkness.”

 The believer goes out into the light. When a believer goes through the valley of the shadow of death he passes on into the unbelievable light of the glory of God in all of His splendor where he will spend all eternity. That is why Paul the Apostle could make this statement about the believer’s death in 1 Cor. 15:54 – “Death is swallowed up in victory!”

Just a few thoughts on a Saturday morning as I prepare to officiate a service where I pray that I can provide some comfort and hope to a grieving family.