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Reflections

“But if not…”

“I’m not afraid of dying,” our longtime friend, a terminal cancer patient, stated as he sat propped up with pillows in a reclining chair. My husband and I were visiting him for the first time since his illness. “It’s what happens to me between now and then that I am concerned about.”

Sitting in their living room, I could hardly comprehend what we were experiencing. We had known these friends since we were young adults, sharing many vicissitudes of life with them. Our conversations always flowed with comfortable ease. No tensions, no explanations, just sharing the good times and the bad. But we had never before discussed this present topic—what it would be like to die.

I admired the calmness with which our friend discussed his approaching death. Here, I thought, is the benchmark of the Christian faith. Christianity is not only something to live by; it gives hope beyond the grave. Here in this living room, I was seeing faith in action.

It is impossible to discuss death without discussing the companion topic of healing. Do we really believe God heals? Of course we do. Does God always heal? Words like sovereignty, God’s perfect will, faith, trust, and submission filtered into the conversation.
At the threshold of death, the words had reality. When your breath becomes short because your lungs are filling with fluid, you do not waste words.

Our friend affirmed his belief in God’s miracle-working power. He had confidence in a God who has the ability to heal, yet he was willing to submit to God’s sovereignty. No lack of faith here, I thought. This was a faith that was willing to let God be God.

I thought of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego before Nebuchadnezzar as they unequivocally declared their faith in God’s power to deliver. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king (Daniel 3:17, NIV).

Then they progress to another level of faith. But even if he does not…we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up (Daniel 3:18, NIV). This “but-if-not” kind of faith is the same faith found in the last part of Hebrews 11—the faith of the “others” who did not receive deliverance.

As I listened to our friend talk, I silently thanked God for this kind of faith. If the faith we proclaim is only valid when it produces visible results, we have no message for the terminal cancer patient, the parent who loses a child or anyone who experiences unexplainable traumas.

If the faith we have is a “but-if-not” kind of faith, it is valid whether or not we see visible results. This faith rests not only in the omnipotent God who heals, but also in the sovereign God whose ways are above our ways.

Solemnly, after discussing funeral arrangements, we prayed with our friends. God’s presence was very real. Together we committed our friend to God, thanking Him for His love. Our hearts burned with faith in a loving God. This is a faith we can live—and die—by.

Points to Ponder

What is the basis of your faith—God’s character and His Word or your circumstances? What is the greatest challenge to your faith today? By faith, give that challenge to God, and leave the outcome with Him.

PEGGY MUSGROVE is a licensed Assemblies of God minister. She is also a speaker, freelance writer, author and prayer group leader. Her latest book, Musings of a Maraschino Cherry was released in 2004.. You can visit her at www.musgroveville.com.

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