Revelation 21:4
John 11:25
It’s not only the music but also the words that make “Because He Lives” one of the most beautiful songs ever composed. The last verse carries the Christian’s ultimate message of hope;
And then one day I’ll cross the river; I’ll fight life’s final war with pain;
And then as death gives way to victory, I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives.
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow; Because He lives all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living because He lives.
No matter what happens to us here on earth, life is worth the living because of the hope that one day we will see Jesus. God will wipe away every tear. There will no longer be the pain of death or mourning or crying or pain. The first things will have passed away and we will begin a new life free of all things bad. As we struggle here on earth, it’s difficult to imgine such a life. Time and again, the scriptures attest to it.
What I have written is absolutely true or I am an absolute fool for believing it. It is stated so often and so succintly in God’s Word that it takes a fool not to believe it. We often give verbal assent to believing God’s promise of eternal life and yet live our lives as if death were the end rather than the beginning. Praise God we will be given new bodies. This one is beginning to wear out and doesn’t look so good anymore. How I would love to trade it for the one I had when I was twenty years old. God has a better one waiting for me that will be better and I will have a life without pain or suffering. And it’s all because He lives.
Because He lives, no matter what happens to you, life is worth the living. Somehow He will give you strength to keep on keeping on. He will enable you to face calamity and disaster in the eye and say, “I won’t give up”. That’s not to say that the crisis you face is of no consequence to you here on earth. However, it will be of no heavenly consequence.
Life goes on and you must choose how you will adjust to whatever comes your way. It’s not nearly as important that we understand what has happened as it is that we accept it. Nowhere does the Bible promise, at least in this earthly life, that we will understand why God allows so many things to happen to us that are difficult. The fact that we do not understand is a call to faith. God wants us to trust fully in Him and in His wisdom. In I Cor 13.12 Paul speaks of how that at the present we only know in part but one day we will know in full. To accept the present and get on with life is to trust God. To refuse to accept the present and despair over our condition is not trusting God.
How numerous are the passages in God’s Word that admonish us to trust God. Prov 3.5-6 is one of those, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight”. Perhaps Job showed the greatest faith in God’s leadership of anyone, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in Him” (Job 13:15). Job’s faith was one that absolutely nothing could cause to fail. We should long for that kind of faith in our lives and it can be ours.
Father, thank you for being present in my life even when I can’t see you or feel your presence. You are a truly awesome God and I am so grateful that I can turn to you for strength and direction. There are so many times in my life that I want to question what you are doing to me. Most of the time, I just don’t understand but I pray that my faith will grow stronger in times of struggle. Allow me to treasure these times of confusion and make them opportunities to make my faith stronger. Teach me that no matter what happens to me and no matter how little I understand that you are always there. Help me never to forget that because He lives that I can face tomorrow. Amen
