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When real pain happens, we need real truth. Here is what my heart has been wrapped up in the past couple of months. I wrote this teaching outline for one of my seminary classes and then a blog version for Authentic Womanhood. The teaching outline and in depth observations can be found below and the Blog version can be found at www.authentic-womanhood.com. I've spent so much time stewing on this material lately, compelled to really research and dig deep in God's Word to understand what God meant when He spoke over me a truth in response to my questioning heart after watching a sweet 18 year old new believer brutally die from an incurable disease right in front of me. I asked "How are you going to reconcile this God? Where are you?" and He responded with "Jesus wept." This is an outline I wrote to track my journey of searching/ understanding what God meant, why He would tell me that in that moment, and how it drew me so much closer to Him in result. Because in real moments, we need real truth. And what I found, despite all popular suspicions is- we do in fact serving a good, present, rescuing, caring, and loving God- even when we die on his clock. I hope these raw truths can help mend any doubts you might have of God's goodness like it did mine and help you fall more in love with Him than ever before like it has me. Here is a brief (in Bible class world) yet long (in blogger world) write up of what I found.
TEXT: John 11:1-44; Specifically John 11:35, “Jesus wept.”
Instagram Caption posted August 8, 2015:
"You're fighting so well sweetheart. You're doing good. You're doing so good."
These were the things we told this sweet baby as he faced death head on last night.
Braver than any of us & only 18, Rickey Craver Jr., was so strong. So so brave. It is
always painful to watch a child fight for their lives, but Rickeys fight had inspired so
many as droves of people came to visit him in his last hours. He was determined to
never give up. Ever since my family & I have known Rickey, his heart- my God his heart-
was so so so special. My family & I have grown so attached to him and his precious
family this past year. Getting to know him & hang out with him & his family has been such a gift. When I got the call a couple of days ago that he had been given only a few days, I
dropped everything to come. I thought I had an idea of what events were about to take
place but I realized this was very different. Rickey was special with a heart of gold. He was so special. After several days of fighting, by the time Rickeys battle came to its most intense stage, last night, his family knew they needed a person who could stay strong in order to
administer his care as he wished to pass at home. They entrusted the task to me & the
nurse showed me how to do everything & another close friend of the family & I agreed
to tag team the care through the night so the family could focus on Rickey rather than
medical tasks. He was so strong. He held on. He fought to communicate his love to his
family until he couldn't any longer. He was so brave. And at 1:41 AM this morning
surrounded & held by one of the most loving families I have ever met, this sweet baby's battle with cancer came to an end. Just two days ago as the cancer started to get to its worst, I asked Rickey what He was most grateful for. He
replied: "God. Because He does good things." At 18, this sweet boy exhibited a faith like
the saints in my church history books, a strength like that of heroic legends, & a love like
that of Christ to everyone around him. Real. Rickey has touched my heart: His fight is SO worthy to be noted, His life worthy to be remembered. He was so strong. His life inspired many, including me. God recruited one of the best last night: Rickey Craver Jr.: a hero of great faith, a strong brother in Christ.”
#rickeystrong
TITLE: The Depth of God’s Love
In my experience and study, I have found that most atheists that do not believe in the God
of the Bible- you can usually find a story somewhere in the timeline of their life where they
experienced a broken heart towards God. I have learned unbelief is always a heart issue. Even
the worlds most renown atheist who's lives mission was to prove there is no God, Antony Flew,
son of a methodist preacher during the time of the Holocaust experienced hearing the screams and seeing the smoke of the burning jews who prayed to this God that supposedly loved them so
much when he was a little boy which laid the foundation to his mission. Most atheists line of
thought sound something like this- “If God was so good, if He were so powerful, if He is so
loving, then why would He allow bad things to happen?” A great question; a real question that
not only atheists ask, but even the most well known believers tuck away in their hearts. The
problem is, this question isn't neutral, but it often goes unanswered. It doesn't just sit quietly in us
awaiting to be answered. Its a seed of doubt that blasphemes what the bible says about the
character and heart of God and the longer it goes unaddressed, it infects the hearts of men,
dismantling their belief in His goodness or care, creating bitterness, distance from God, and in
result we have people who just straight up reject God or those who secretly are broken hearted
towards God and just go through the motions creating cold religion. It infects many today, and it
has even infected me, until now.
Recently God opened my eyes in a very dramatic way. I experienced the death of an 18 year old
and was confronted with this question I thought my heart already knew the answer to- I speak, I
teach it, Im proof of it- its the pinnacle of my own testimony: that in all things God is good. But I
must admit, my heart didn't know it like I thought- not in some if the deepest mangled parts of
my heart, rather I just learned to accept it as the answer and teach it. I now know there is a big
difference between accepting and knowing.
As I watched Rickey, this new brave believer, take me to school on what faith really was in his last hours of life, who literally just told me he was grateful to God because He does good things a few hours prior, as he drown in his own body fluids and still determined to fight for his life- I asked God, why? how could you do this? even if it was his time, why the heck does it have to be like this? Helping aid the nurse to pump his body with anxiety meds so he wouldn't be in so much pain as his body shut down while his brain and heart were still fully healthy and intact- my heart was broken. He feels it all God, help him. What the heck God? This doesn't look like the Jesus in the story book or the sermon, but this is happening and its real and its heart wrenching because he is my friend! Where are you? What He showed me I have been chewing on ever since - it has dramatically changed my heart, and is currently changing my life. God said, “Jesus wept.”
In John 11:1-44 ( see/read passage ) Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. Aside from the jaw- dropping miracle he performs, a colossal element of Gods character is revealed in vs. 35- a truth my heart and faith was in desperate need of knowing. It says, “Jesus wept.”
In an uncanny similar situation to not only my experience with rickey who also had two sisters and was surrounded by a house full of whaling people, I experienced the heartbreak of death just like the people in this story. When God spoke that over me in response to my questioning heart, it was immensely appropriate because I learned how the significance of Jesus weeping in this passage is our Gospel, I learned a depth of Gods love amidst the fact that we die on his clock that I didn't know before, and it all has radically changed the way I live, interact with other believers and dramatically benefited my personal relationship with God. This is the Gospel.
As I watched Rickey, this new brave believer, take me to school on what faith really was in his last hours of life, who literally just told me he was grateful to God because He does good things a few hours prior, as he drown in his own body fluids and still determined to fight for his life- I asked God, why? how could you do this? even if it was his time, why the heck does it have to be like this? Helping aid the nurse to pump his body with anxiety meds so he wouldn't be in so much pain as his body shut down while his brain and heart were still fully healthy and intact- my heart was broken. He feels it all God, help him. What the heck God? This doesn't look like the Jesus in the story book or the sermon, but this is happening and its real and its heart wrenching because he is my friend! Where are you? What He showed me I have been chewing on ever since - it has dramatically changed my heart, and is currently changing my life. God said, “Jesus wept.”
In John 11:1-44 ( see/read passage ) Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. Aside from the jaw- dropping miracle he performs, a colossal element of Gods character is revealed in vs. 35- a truth my heart and faith was in desperate need of knowing. It says, “Jesus wept.”
In an uncanny similar situation to not only my experience with rickey who also had two sisters and was surrounded by a house full of whaling people, I experienced the heartbreak of death just like the people in this story. When God spoke that over me in response to my questioning heart, it was immensely appropriate because I learned how the significance of Jesus weeping in this passage is our Gospel, I learned a depth of Gods love amidst the fact that we die on his clock that I didn't know before, and it all has radically changed the way I live, interact with other believers and dramatically benefited my personal relationship with God. This is the Gospel.
JESUS WEPT
1.) We Serve a Caring God
Why would Jesus weep for a dead man he was on his way to raise back to life, why would he weep after just telling the disciples this will bring God glory and prove God sent me? It is seems out of place. Scripture said he saw the weeping sister and a deep anger welled up within Him. And he didn't just have empathy... scripture said he wept, he shed tears.
(v.33) “When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within Him, and He was deeply troubled.” in the greek (Ἰησοῦς οὖν ὡς εἶδεν αὐτὴν κλαίουσαν καὶ τοὺς συνελθόντας αὐτῇ Ἰουδαίους κλαίοντας ἐνεβριμήσατο τῷ πνεύματι καὶ ἐτάραξεν ἑαυτόν) reveals Jesus felt anger, outrage or emotional indignation.
(v.35) “Jesus wept” in the greek ( ἐδάκρυσεν ο Ἰησοῦς ) literally translates Jesus burst into tears.
Most english translation soften the passage to ‘he groaned in spirit’, ‘he sighed heavily,’ ‘he was deeply touched’ or ‘he was deeply moved in spirit’- all without linguistic justification. Don't miss this! It is lexically inexcusable to reduce this emotional upset to effects of empathy, grief, pain, or the like. Jesus was so much more than sad, He was consumed with passionate grief and anger- not out of despair but out of rage towards death and sin because of his love for his friends. ( D.A. Carson, The Gospel According to John)
Just like some of the observers in this passage, I also found myself asking the same question of Jesus in vs 33: “But some said, “This man healed the blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?” My heart needed to know- God dont you care? You can stop this, why arent you stopping this!? And God answered.
We were not made for death and our God hates death. He hates that we die, he hates we are bound up in such a curse. he cries when we die. Even though he is god. He weeps. because we were not made for this. When a believer dies, when an unbeliever dies- he mourns because we weren't created to die. we were all supposed to live forever with him. the curse of sin is where death comes from. But we do not serve a weak and whiney God- no, he is passionately troubled but doesn't just look at it and cry. We look at death and ask why God? Why death? Cant you stop it? Aren’t you God? Do something!
And He simply replies, I have, and I did. I am more troubled by death than you are and thats why I sent my son to conquer it so that in Him you might have everlasting life.
1.) We Serve a Caring God
Why would Jesus weep for a dead man he was on his way to raise back to life, why would he weep after just telling the disciples this will bring God glory and prove God sent me? It is seems out of place. Scripture said he saw the weeping sister and a deep anger welled up within Him. And he didn't just have empathy... scripture said he wept, he shed tears.
(v.33) “When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within Him, and He was deeply troubled.” in the greek (Ἰησοῦς οὖν ὡς εἶδεν αὐτὴν κλαίουσαν καὶ τοὺς συνελθόντας αὐτῇ Ἰουδαίους κλαίοντας ἐνεβριμήσατο τῷ πνεύματι καὶ ἐτάραξεν ἑαυτόν) reveals Jesus felt anger, outrage or emotional indignation.
(v.35) “Jesus wept” in the greek ( ἐδάκρυσεν ο Ἰησοῦς ) literally translates Jesus burst into tears.
Most english translation soften the passage to ‘he groaned in spirit’, ‘he sighed heavily,’ ‘he was deeply touched’ or ‘he was deeply moved in spirit’- all without linguistic justification. Don't miss this! It is lexically inexcusable to reduce this emotional upset to effects of empathy, grief, pain, or the like. Jesus was so much more than sad, He was consumed with passionate grief and anger- not out of despair but out of rage towards death and sin because of his love for his friends. ( D.A. Carson, The Gospel According to John)
Just like some of the observers in this passage, I also found myself asking the same question of Jesus in vs 33: “But some said, “This man healed the blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?” My heart needed to know- God dont you care? You can stop this, why arent you stopping this!? And God answered.
We were not made for death and our God hates death. He hates that we die, he hates we are bound up in such a curse. he cries when we die. Even though he is god. He weeps. because we were not made for this. When a believer dies, when an unbeliever dies- he mourns because we weren't created to die. we were all supposed to live forever with him. the curse of sin is where death comes from. But we do not serve a weak and whiney God- no, he is passionately troubled but doesn't just look at it and cry. We look at death and ask why God? Why death? Cant you stop it? Aren’t you God? Do something!
And He simply replies, I have, and I did. I am more troubled by death than you are and thats why I sent my son to conquer it so that in Him you might have everlasting life.
We serve a god who loves us. We serve a good God. He has not abandoned us. We serve a God
who’s love did something about it. We serve a God who loved us so much He gave
Himself as a solution.
2.) We Serve A Saving God
In John 11, after Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, it is not too long that He later goes on to face His own death, to give His own life, to be a sacrifice for many, to make a way to save us all.
In John 18:3-4, He doesn't hesitate, He doesn’t back down, He goes willingly, He chooses and walks out the propitiation in agreeance- “...Now with blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons, they arrived at the olive grove. Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to Him, so he stepped forward to meet them.”
When you watch an 18 year old who had a heart of gold and was a new believer, who is encouraging everyone else to be happy because this is supposed to be a happy time because he is about to meet Jesus, not a sad time, fight for his life against an incurable disease and with every second you see the life that is in him- it is there, he is there- and then struggle to breath as he drowns in his own fluids as his body is shutting down and die in his mothers and sisters arms in his bedroom packed full of whaling and deeply grieving family and his pupils dilate and he is no longer moving and he is no longer there, no longer responsive, its just still, vacant, he’s gone... it hits you... death is real. Its permanent. And it will happen to you one day too. It is a defining reality. Your body will shut down one day. You will cease to be here one day. You will have no choice. Your body will shut down even if you're fighting and telling it not to. It will actively die one day and death is so much stronger than you are. It will take you. You will have no choice. You will be awake one moment, and gone in the next- slowly or quickly, your body will shut down, you will experience it to some degree, and it will be scary. I will die. You will die. In about 100 years, none of us in this room will be here. And that is not a long time. Morbid, but real and so very appropriate to describe.
Coming to terms with this reality, and reality it very much is, witnessing this reality- it makes so much sense to cry out for someone to help us, to rescue us. That is why we call Him Savior.
2.) We Serve A Saving God
In John 11, after Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, it is not too long that He later goes on to face His own death, to give His own life, to be a sacrifice for many, to make a way to save us all.
In John 18:3-4, He doesn't hesitate, He doesn’t back down, He goes willingly, He chooses and walks out the propitiation in agreeance- “...Now with blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons, they arrived at the olive grove. Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to Him, so he stepped forward to meet them.”
When you watch an 18 year old who had a heart of gold and was a new believer, who is encouraging everyone else to be happy because this is supposed to be a happy time because he is about to meet Jesus, not a sad time, fight for his life against an incurable disease and with every second you see the life that is in him- it is there, he is there- and then struggle to breath as he drowns in his own fluids as his body is shutting down and die in his mothers and sisters arms in his bedroom packed full of whaling and deeply grieving family and his pupils dilate and he is no longer moving and he is no longer there, no longer responsive, its just still, vacant, he’s gone... it hits you... death is real. Its permanent. And it will happen to you one day too. It is a defining reality. Your body will shut down one day. You will cease to be here one day. You will have no choice. Your body will shut down even if you're fighting and telling it not to. It will actively die one day and death is so much stronger than you are. It will take you. You will have no choice. You will be awake one moment, and gone in the next- slowly or quickly, your body will shut down, you will experience it to some degree, and it will be scary. I will die. You will die. In about 100 years, none of us in this room will be here. And that is not a long time. Morbid, but real and so very appropriate to describe.
Coming to terms with this reality, and reality it very much is, witnessing this reality- it makes so much sense to cry out for someone to help us, to rescue us. That is why we call Him Savior.
Jesus wept over death because of his love for us- that is why He came; because of His sacrifice
there is now no sting in death- that is what He accomplished; so that in Him we might
have eternal life- that is why He saves!
This whole thing- thats why it says he loved us so much, thats why it says he sent his son, thats why it says so that we might have ever lasting life, and thats why Jesus wept- because we die... and we never were created to die. But that is why we call Jesus Savior!
Our God does not leave us to the darkness of death. He isn’t even waiting on the other side of some gates for you- no, he is right there with you as you are dying! He escorts you home! He never leaves your side! In Him, we do not perish, rather when we are absent front the body, we are present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). And He says we are raised again! To dwell with Him for all eternity!
3.) We Serve a God who Restores
Jesus said to open the tomb and Mary objected saying he had been dead 4 days- they had already wrapped him up and prepared his dead body to decay and explained his tomb would be filled with odor. If you've been to a funeral recently that could be hard to believe- especially with all the embalming etc. they do these days- but that doesn't mean anything to God. Because listen to how Jesus replied to Martha in John 11: 40: “Didn’t i tell you if you believe you will see the glory of God?” It doesn't matter what happens to the body- death, decay- nothing can stop the power of God! God is God and we will certainly be raised to life again. And thus the believers in the passage were right to ask- if you are God, cant you stop death? Oh how glorious is the good news- because he has! And one day we will dwell with Him in eternity just as we were meant to!
This is our hope, but its not some whimsy wishful thinking- this is the Gospel, the legacy of the heritage of the saints, the truth that radically changed history surrounded by miracles, and accomplished through the God-Man who exemplified it as proof. The grave could not stop it. God’s love- not even death could stop it. We serve a God who restores!
Application: We can Trust Him With Our Lives
We have a God who saves, who loves, who is present, who has a solution, who is involved, who fights for us, who never leaves us! He sent His son to save us! Why? Because He created us for so much more, because His crazy and unfathomable love for us! He did something about it and He glorified on high because of it.
God is not cold- far from it! He loves us so fiercely! And because he loves us so much that he is even passionately present when we die, all pretense aside because he loves the whole world, we can trust Him with our lives and draw near to Him knowing He is all we need.
This whole thing- thats why it says he loved us so much, thats why it says he sent his son, thats why it says so that we might have ever lasting life, and thats why Jesus wept- because we die... and we never were created to die. But that is why we call Jesus Savior!
Our God does not leave us to the darkness of death. He isn’t even waiting on the other side of some gates for you- no, he is right there with you as you are dying! He escorts you home! He never leaves your side! In Him, we do not perish, rather when we are absent front the body, we are present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). And He says we are raised again! To dwell with Him for all eternity!
3.) We Serve a God who Restores
Jesus said to open the tomb and Mary objected saying he had been dead 4 days- they had already wrapped him up and prepared his dead body to decay and explained his tomb would be filled with odor. If you've been to a funeral recently that could be hard to believe- especially with all the embalming etc. they do these days- but that doesn't mean anything to God. Because listen to how Jesus replied to Martha in John 11: 40: “Didn’t i tell you if you believe you will see the glory of God?” It doesn't matter what happens to the body- death, decay- nothing can stop the power of God! God is God and we will certainly be raised to life again. And thus the believers in the passage were right to ask- if you are God, cant you stop death? Oh how glorious is the good news- because he has! And one day we will dwell with Him in eternity just as we were meant to!
This is our hope, but its not some whimsy wishful thinking- this is the Gospel, the legacy of the heritage of the saints, the truth that radically changed history surrounded by miracles, and accomplished through the God-Man who exemplified it as proof. The grave could not stop it. God’s love- not even death could stop it. We serve a God who restores!
Application: We can Trust Him With Our Lives
We have a God who saves, who loves, who is present, who has a solution, who is involved, who fights for us, who never leaves us! He sent His son to save us! Why? Because He created us for so much more, because His crazy and unfathomable love for us! He did something about it and He glorified on high because of it.
God is not cold- far from it! He loves us so fiercely! And because he loves us so much that he is even passionately present when we die, all pretense aside because he loves the whole world, we can trust Him with our lives and draw near to Him knowing He is all we need.
The one who is there when we die and escorts us home- thats the one we should get to know and
love and live for. Nothing else matters. Even if you have found yourself in a place where
you have experienced a church today that seems cold, judgmental, and distant- that is not
our God! He is present and abounding in love and He has not abandoned us! He is here!
FOR YOU! WITH YOU! BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU! He has fought for us and still
does! He never leaves us! The church that exists today is not all God’s people- there is a
massive legion of saints from all time that understand the love of God and His mission
and are sprinkled throughout history who have been aggressive about communicating the
amazing love of God and they dwell in heaven right now with Him and where He longs
for you to be.
Thus- to the unbeliever, scarred by the grind of life or even God's people, do not be turned away by sinners in God’s church who need God’s love just as much you do- we all fall short and are sinful. God is who He says He is and He loves you as much as He claims He does. Death is real and pain is real, but so is God's sacrifice of His son to cradle and conquer all pain and suffering long before yours even came to pass. He has made a way for you and loves you. He is not absent. He is here and He is actively fighting for you. To the believer, if you are tired of the show- hit your knees, cry out to God, and draw near to Him who compassionately fights for you and has given His life for you while you were yet a sinner. Your heart is the pilot to the plane- you must fall back in love with the God of Heavens armies, you must find where your heart is bitter towards Him and bring it to Him- let His loving kindness do its job- get humble and take the first step towards Him and see He is not waiting for you but running to meet you. If you do you will find your heart overwhelmed with a desire to repent- not out of guilt but out of response to His unfathomable love for you. And this is a healthy heart. And one heart at a time, truly in love with Jesus, we will be the church we ourselves need and the church the heritage of the saints is really made of. Do the dirty work. Fall in love with Him.
In Conclusion:
Thus- to the unbeliever, scarred by the grind of life or even God's people, do not be turned away by sinners in God’s church who need God’s love just as much you do- we all fall short and are sinful. God is who He says He is and He loves you as much as He claims He does. Death is real and pain is real, but so is God's sacrifice of His son to cradle and conquer all pain and suffering long before yours even came to pass. He has made a way for you and loves you. He is not absent. He is here and He is actively fighting for you. To the believer, if you are tired of the show- hit your knees, cry out to God, and draw near to Him who compassionately fights for you and has given His life for you while you were yet a sinner. Your heart is the pilot to the plane- you must fall back in love with the God of Heavens armies, you must find where your heart is bitter towards Him and bring it to Him- let His loving kindness do its job- get humble and take the first step towards Him and see He is not waiting for you but running to meet you. If you do you will find your heart overwhelmed with a desire to repent- not out of guilt but out of response to His unfathomable love for you. And this is a healthy heart. And one heart at a time, truly in love with Jesus, we will be the church we ourselves need and the church the heritage of the saints is really made of. Do the dirty work. Fall in love with Him.
In Conclusion:
Death, pain, heartbreak, loss... the real stuff- all challenge God's character. Death is the enemies favorite weapon to challenge God's goodness. And let me tell you- when watching rickey slowly die- drowning in his own fluids, struggle to breathe, realizing this battle scene before me was every humans fate and seeing how death had no scruples as it ruthlessly did not even go easy on the sweet 18 year old who just became a believer- believe me, that challenge was real. In my eyes, in that moment, God held every inch of blame because as this sweet baby was crying out that he couldn't breathe and was suffocating, my Bible said my God parted the red sea yet where was He now? Surrounded by a mixture of a few unbelievers and some believers, a miracle would make so much more sense! My heart cried- "Here's your red sea God! Save him! There is no reason he needs to die!!! He would have such a testimony! Where are you!!?" Yet his body began to reflex as it gasped for air, he became still, his pupils dilated, and Rickey died. Slowly. Painfully. And to me, unfairly. As I looked at his frail dead body, my heart wrenched because where was my God who could save? My head had faith, but my heart was challenged and broken. And just like the weeping Mary and Martha in Lazarus story, my heart cried too- "where were you God!?" But that is why God told me, "Jesus wept."
In Rickey’s last moments, he was talking a lot, making random comments. The nurse said it was because his body was shutting down so it was like that of a glitching shutting down computer. But he was not just talking... I realized later, it seemed like he was in conversation. Bits and pieces none of us could understand. But I shared Rickeys story with a client the other day and we talked about her grandpa dying and how he did the same thing. And another client who worked in ICU at the hospital who explained most everyone is talking in conversation as they are dying like that. My client explained she believed it was evidence of them crossing over. It hit me... maybe Rickey was talking to someone. Maybe not. But maybe he was. God’s truth says when we are absent from the body we are present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). What was breaking my heart the most watching Rickey die was God's seemingly cold absence... but I just didn't know my Bible. God was there the whole time. After this study and talking with some clients and friends about Rickey talking randomly as he faded in and out towards the end, I believe Rickey was communicating with Jesus. Jesus was there escorting him home, Jesus was right there helping him endure the pain, and I believe Jesus was weeping with all of us as Rickey faced head on the reality of the sting of death. That is why God told me Jesus wept- He was telling me He was there. Jesus wasn't on the other side of some pearly gates, leaving Rickey to fend for himself as he faced death- no, He was right there. When you see how real death is, when you witness the sting of it- you need a God like that, one that is by your side in the trenches, one that would send His one and only son to conquer death so that He could be right there with you as you face the curse He came to save you from, one thats blood would rescue us from such a searing experience and ensure that's not where the story ends. My God... He is that God, and He is the One who saves. Jesus was with Rickey, talking to Him, escorting Him home and now I understand why God’s truth says all these things- it fits so perfectly in that situation- and I am overwhelmed with gratitude and love for my God because of it. Jesus was with Rickey. I honestly cant biblically conclude anything otherwise. Such a reality stirs so much love up in my heart for my God- I want to serve a God who loves like that. And I do! And because all of this, my relationship with God and other believers has been transformed. What good news it is to know that God truly is with us. He loves us. And now, Rickey, a new believer, knows far more than I could ever imagine of God. He is home. He is healed. He is happy. My heart is full because that is truth. He is with the saints and the God that loves him so very much.
The God that also loves you... so very much. Who will be with you in the same way when your time comes. Blessed be the name of the Lord. What a joy it will be to see Rickey again. I pray his bravery, existence, and faith marks your heart. As Rickey said, God is good. May we live accordingly.
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