Facing the fear of death

Hosea 13:14 and I Corinthians 15:55 (NIV)

I will deliver this people from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues?  Where, O grave, is your destruction?

I write this in honor and memory of David Hire, one of my high school classmates, who, after being struck by lightning and living in a wheelchair for over 17 years, passed away after a long illness.  Dave lived his life with dignity and never complained about his handicap.  His wife, Linda, and daughters, Ashlee and Lindsey, all lived their lives sacrificially for Dave and showed the kind of love for one another that inspired all who know them.  

If Dave was afraid of death, he never admitted it.  All of us have some fear of death and perhaps greater fear of the process of dying (Job 18:14; Ps 55:4-5). Erwin Lutzner wrote, “Denial, anger, fear, and helpless resignation erupt in the souls of those who face death.  No matter that death is common to the human race, each person must face this ultimate ignominy individually.  No one can endure the moment for us.  Family and friends can walk only as far as the curtain; the dying one must disappear behind the veil alone.”

The Bible says over 500 times that we are not to be afraid.  There is no shame to be afraid and all of us are afraid from time to time.  Even Jesus experienced fear before His arrest (Luke 22:44; Matt 26:39).  However, the Bible clearly teaches that the only fear that we should have is to fear God with all of our hearts.  If we do that there is nothing else to be afraid of, even dying and death.  Jesus took away the fear of death for those who trust Him.  One of the main reasons He came to earth and to die for our sins was to help His followers overcome the fear of death.

People tend to focus on death and the process of dying much more than where your soul will reside forever.  Did you know that your soul is immortal (John 6:51, II Tim 1:10).  Your soul will live forever in one of two places (Matt 10:28).   The eternal place of your soul depends on your belief in Jesus Christ as your Savior.  If you don’t believe that He is the Savior of the world and personally accept Him as your Savior, your soul will reside in hell (Matt 13:41-42, 49-50; Matt 25:41; II Thess 1:8-9; Rev 20:14-15, 21:8).  If you do believe in Him, your soul will reside forever in heaven (John 14:2; I Cor 5:1; II Cor 5:8; Matt 19:29; 25:34; Ps 48:2; Rev 22). 

I know that my friend, Dave, is enjoying a personal welcome from Christ as opposed to suffering all the gloom of hell.  Death as a Christian enables you to enter into “paradise” (Luke 23:43).  In heaven person knowledge continues (Luke 16:23-26; I Cor 13:12), personal love continues (Luke 16:23-26), and personal feelings continue (Psalm 16:11; Rev 6:9-10).  So, as a Christian, while your human nature might still fear dying and death, your spiritual nature will welcome it.  You will be going to your true home where saints like Dave Hire are there to welcome you along with the Lord.

If you have a moderate to significant fear of your dying and death, study these Scriptures and see if not the Spirit within you gives you new peace that you’ve never experienced before.  And, of course, if you have a great fear of death and do not believe in the Lord, then you have no Spirit within you to enable you to experience peace through the Word.  However, you know what you need to do to change that. 

Reflect on these powerful words from two departed saints:

“When I die, I do not want to see anyone cry.  I want you to be assured that I will be more alive than I have ever been in my life, and I will be looking down upon you poor people who are still in the land of dying and have not yet joined me in the land of the living. And I will be alive forevermore, in greater health and vitality and joy than ever, ever, I or anyone has known before.”—D. James Kennedy

“The big question is not, ‘What can I still do in the years that I have left to live?’, but ‘How can I prepare myself for my death so that my life can continue to bear fruit in the generations that will follow me?’” —Henri Nouwen