The Psalmist often records God’s promises to deliver those who know and love Him. We may not be participants in longevity in this life nor escape harm while we are here. However, He will eventually answer our cries for help. Please read the contextual evidence surrounding the following Scriptures before forming your opinion or becoming angry.
Joel 2:31-32, “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and awe-inspiring Day of the Lord comes. Then everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved, for there will be an escape for those on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, as the Lord promised, among the survivors the Lord calls.” HCSB.
Acts 2:17-21, “And it will be that I will pour out My Spirit on all humanity;then your sons and your daughters will prophesy,your young men will see visions,and your old men will dream dreams. I will even pour out My Spiriton My male and female slaves in those days,and they will prophesy. I will display wonders in the heaven and signs on the earthblood and fire and a cloud of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and remarkable Day of the Lord 21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Rom. 10:8b-13, “The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. Now the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on Him will not be put to shame, for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, since the same Lord of all is rich to all who call on Him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
No matter the issues at hand our God will not leave us alone in turmoil. We do find promises of rescue accomplished by God in His Word, but we may not experience the rescue in this life. We cannot understand this, but He does always rescue the perishing on the other side of the grave.
We preachers of the Gospel must be very, very careful when we are attempting to comfort those who are struggling with physical and emotional problems.God always gives His blessing to people who follow His will, but they may not see the blessings here.
Joshua 1:5-11, “No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or forsake you. “Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance. Above all, be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people: “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get provisions ready for yourselves, for within three days you will be crossing the Jordan to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you to inherit.’”
John 11:17-21, “When Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem (about two miles away). Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. As soon as Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him. But Mary remained seated in the house. Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. Yet even now I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give You.” “Your brother will rise again,”
Matthew 28:16-20, “The 11 disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. When they saw Him, they worshiped, but some doubted. Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
We Followers of Christ must be very, very careful choosing our words shared with those who are presently suffering awful diseases or with those whose loved ones are caring for them. My own father who was suffering from terminal cancer said, “God may not heal me on this side of Heaven, but I will be healed when I leave here.” What we do understand is simple, God adds life to our years and makes that life worthwhile. Our Lord gives many illustrations in Scripture and we sometimes fail to understand, and when we fail to understand, we find this, “I assure you: I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. This happens because he is a hired man and doesn’t care about the sheep. “I am the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me, as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep. But I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd. This is why the Father loves Me, because I am laying down My life so I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from My Father.” John 10:7-18.
How, then, are we to explain these difficulties, that God has apparently not been faithful to His statements? You and have known many Godly people that have died young, and there are others who have indeed perished at the hands of evil actions. Does this mean that God is unfaithful and we cannot depend upon His statements? Because we view life beyond the grave there should be no difficulty with the truth of Scripture. In the end His deliverance does follow even as He allows some to suffer and others to die at the hands of enemies. WE who are Believers may die young, but we do have eternal life because we are devoted to God as He is faithful to us.
Jesus remains Lord.
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