Pilot ~ Photographer ~ Scuba Diver

Light Through the Tunnel

 

The experience of suffering of human beings is certainly increasing and will intensify in the closing period of earth’s history. This reality is becoming more prevalent, especially to us who are alert and attentive as we see the day approaching. A few days back as I was pondering the issues of life we’ve experienced over the last year, my wife and I were discussing something in bed one morning, when I made a comment about our loss as a continuum over the course of time and related it in these words:

 

“It seems as though I’m walking through a dark tunnel; I cannot see behind me—it’s all dark, I cannot see around me—it too is all dark,. As I walk, I cannot even tell where even to put my feet—I could stumble the next step. I can only look ahead and see light at the ‘end of the tunnel’.

 

There was a pause—then I stated to Mary, maybe I should write my next blog with this idea in mind. She agreed. In my opening remark, I referenced this idea of suffering which is intensifying as we approach the end. In a world of sin, it cannot be avoided. Like a woman in travail ready to give birth, so the ‘birth pangs’ of suffering and sorrow and woe is increasing rapidly. Those of us who are especially involved in ministry are enduring severe trials. The enemy is turning up the heat, because 1) he sees souls being snatched from his kingdom and 2) he knows his time is short. God permits these attacks because He sees elements in our nature that only can come “to the surface” sorta speak in the furnace of affliction and suffering. These elements He desperately wants to cleanse out of our experience and remove entirely through Christ’s final work of atonement in our behalf before probationary time expires.

 

This ‘tunnel’ analogy came as I felt somewhat down and out that particular morning and without keeping the guard up, allowed myself to slip into a “pity party”.  Let me tell you, it’s easy to permit this to happen.

 

The concept of ‘GRIEF’ though foreign in a perfect world, is very much a reality of life in a fallen world. Severe grief we recognize as destructive, harmful and coming from the enemy.  But God sees grief in a different light than we do.  In the 53rd chapter of Isaiah, the clearest chapter in the O.T. regarding the sufferings of Christ in His humanity, there are three instances where this concept of grief is mention: In vs. 3, it states, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief:” In vs. 4, we find, “He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows” and in vs. 10, it indicates that the Father, “has put him to grief” when He was made an offering for sin for you and me.  This is very GOOD NEWS, indeed!  Here is the reason why:  Christ humbled Himself (taking on our humanity) which enabled divinity to be made capable of receiving the wound of sin. Thus in His incarnation, He became “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief”. He bore or carried our griefs due to sin and eventually on the cross, the Father, put the Son to grief. In other words, Christ felt abandoned by the Father because of our sin. This caused much great agony (grief) to the Son, for He felt that the separation was eternal.

 

Why have I gone into all this detail, it is to show that when we experience severe grief, due to the loss of a child or loved one, untimely, we can have the comfort from Him who has already experienced this grief and given us the assurance it is only temporary, at least for those who believe.  Therefore, though we experience sorrow and grief in this life, we have one who holds our hand and promises to restore favor and good many more times, that the enemy has caused in separating our loved one from us.

 

I hope this writing has been very encouraging to you.  We truly have a great Saviour and High Priest who has certainly been ‘touched with the feelings our infirmities’.  He will be with us until the end and restore our children who have been taken from us due to sin. It will be a far greater reward on that day when we are reunited, and then introducing all the souls who have been impacted due to their death. Thank you Lord, Praise God.