Tag Archives: shadow of death

Dealing with Aging, The Joy of Journey's End

The Shadow of Death

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God has given me such a joy and delight in diving deeply into His words. I write to clarify my thinking and understanding, but also to share and to encourage others, both those who confess Christ and those yet to become His disciple. Glenn Livingston (Guest Blogger)

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me (Psalm 23:4a).

In previous seasons of my life the shadow of death seemed like a remote idea. But now, being over 80, I’m sensing the continuing erosion, loss of my physical vitality and abilities to deal with life.  More and more it’s as if my demise, my death is looming over me as an increasingly, uncomfortable shadow. This has caused me to pursue developing a Biblical perspective regarding aging and death.

I find the Lord has given us great encouragement for dealing with living in the shadow of death as it relates to aging.  It’s not to be feared.  Is it not a natural process ungoverned by God? This season of life, with its attending suffering, is not without purpose.

In a general way, God seeks to use the problems of our aging to sharpen our focus on the transcendent [1] realities surrounding our existence.

And for those who are disciples of Jesus, to further develop our spirituality. The way we deal with the difficulties of life, and our infirmities, stimulates others in their faith and trust in God. [2]

What Does God say about our Impending Death?

OUR PHYSICAL BODIES function as temporary intermediaries between us as persons, our inner self  (our souls) and the physical world.  2 Corinthians 5:1-8 speaks of our present physical body as a tent that is our earthly home, something temporary and of limited duration.

OUR AGING involves losing our physical abilities to function in this physical world. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 speaks of this as…our outer self is wasting away…  This is but our souls being prepared to depart from our physical bodies and be able to put on our heavenly dwelling 2 Corinthians 5:2. (More on this below)

The circumstances of our aging are governed by the Lord.  He uses it all to reveal how weak and fragile we are.  This causes us to think less and less of this present life and more on present and future transcendent realities.

OUR PHYSICAL DEATH is not the end of our existence. 2 Peter 1:13-14 The apostle Peter speaks of death as but putting off our physical body ( this earthly tent), not the end of our personhood. 

Jesus said; I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me though he die, yet shall he live (John 11:25). 

Jesus told the criminal who confessed faith in Him even as he was being crucified; Today you will be with me in paradise. This man’s physical death on the cross would not be the end of his existence. [3]

Moses writes of Rachael’s physical death. As her soul was departing for she was dying …i.e. her soul was departing her physical body. [4]

In our physical death we only lose the limitations and vulnerabilities we possess through our physical fleshly bodies. 

 OUR ETERNAL FUTURE involves our receiving a spiritual body which we see manifested in Jesus’ post resurrection appearances. Examples John 20 and 21. Romans 6:5 …we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.

Jesus’ resurrected body is a prototype for ours. Through Adam we received our natural physical bodies and through the last Adam (Jesus) we receive our spiritual bodies. [5] 

The apostle Paul writes…the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body…(our physical body vs a spiritual body with an enhanced capacity to know and enjoy and love God) [6]

 We will be further clothed so that what is mortal – subject to death is swallowed up by life…by what is immortal, not subject to death. [7]

Then we will in no way be restrained (limited) in the manner imposed on us by our present physical bodies. See 1 Corinthians 15:44-49  (frailties, sicknesses and death)

we groan…as we await this future reality, the redemption of our body. [8]

Fear No Evil

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me (Psalm 23:4a).

Back to Psalm 23, WHY NO FEAR?

BECAUSE OF THE PRESENCE AND ACTIVITY OF GOD, OUR SHEPHERD.

 Surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:6)                 

 WHY DO I HAVE SUCH CERTAINTY REGARDING MY FUTURE ?

Because God has given us His words that, by His grace, He has given the opportunity to have the eternal, personal experience of knowing Him; a relationship with God.

FOR I KNOW YOU ARE THE GOD; WHO has REVEALED HIMSELF to me in Jesus.

Luke 10:22 …no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

For God who said let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ  (2 Corinthians 4:6). 

WHO has REDEEMNED me in Jesus’ death on the cross. 

For there is One God and there is One mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus (1Timothy 2:5).  

Who gave Himself as a ransom for all…who would receive Him (John 1:12). 

In Him we have redemption thru His blood (Ephesians 1:7) .

He who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will raise us…into His presence  (2 Corinthians 4:14) .

WHO has given the SPIRIT OF JESUS to reside within me, guiding and empowering me into living a qualitatively different life than I would have ever known, even as I experience aging. [9]

When the fulness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who are under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons, and because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts… (Galatians 4:4-6).  

When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all Truth (John 16:13). 

Galatians 5:22-23 ..and the fruit of the Spirit is…the believers inner transformation is the evidence of the Spirit of Jesus’ presence and activity.

I identify with the Apostle Paul who wrote in Philippians 1:21-23; For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, that is far better. (i.e. the best is yet to come). But to remain in the flesh is necessary… for God is not through working in my life and using me in the lives of others.

 And in another place God’s word says; But as it is written, What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him (I Corinthians 2:9).

Bottom Line Biblical Perspective For My Live

  • I treat my death and moving towards it as but a shadow. It is a difficult time, but not to be feared for God is with me. The best is yet to come.  
  • I sense this time of decline is not wasted. God has given the promise that He uses all things for our good. [10] In our experiencing the weaknesses of aging and becoming increasingly weary of this life, He is weaning us off our sense of self-sufficiency in order to develop our spirituality [11] more fully.
  • The promise of a personal resurrection and living in the close presence of God energizes my heart with hope and endurance through all the trials of life. 

I often meditate on the testimony of Job who was physically afflicted in many ways. He testifies that it was God’s words and promises that sustained his faith in dealing with so much.

From Job 19:23-27 KJV:

Oh that my words were written, Oh that they were inscribed in a book  That with an iron stylus and lead they were engraved in a rock forever!      

 As for me, I know that my redeemer lives  – (Job acknowledges his need of a Redeemer that has overcome death)

and He will stand in the latter days upon the earth  – ( He knows how it’s all going to turn out)  

and though worms consume my body, –  (It’s a sure prospect Job will die and his body will decay)

yet in my flesh I shall see God,  (He has confidence in his personal resurrection and that he will see God)

whom I shall see for myself – (and that he would have a close, personal encounter) Yes I will see Him with my own eyes.                    

I am overwhelmed at the thought!    (It takes precedence over everything else).

[1]  transcendent – beyond what we can know by our physical senses

[2] Colossians 1:24

[3] Luke 23:43 

[4] Genesis 35:18

[5] 1 Corinthians 15:44-45

[6] Philippians 3:21

[7] 2 Corinthians 5:4

[8] Romans 8:23

[9] John 16:13

[10] Romans 8:28-29

[11] spirituality – living out of a heart valuing God and eternal realities

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Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.

 Novels by the Author:

What happens when a professor figures out how to send messages to his younger self to try and avoid the suicide of his best friend? Did he change more than he bargained for?  Beyond Time

By finding two undelivered letters in a old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowing set off a series of events which uncover a plot to wipe out a whole family Hope Remains

Freedom in Pain, God of all Comfort, God's Eternal Purposes, Joy in the Midst

Rhythms: UP (When Things Get Really Hard)

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God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride (Psalm 46:1-3 NASB).

We know the value of receiving and knowing the love of God.

We know the Holy Spirit indwells us to empower us and guide our ways.

We know we’ve been raised up with Christ and given an eternal orientation.

We know God alone is our Highest Joy.

We know loving like Jesus fills our lives with joy.

We’re learning to build our lives around these and other spiritual  fundamentals. However, when things get hard we can lose sight.

 What keeps us courageous during life’s gut punches?

 The Gut Punch

Really hard circumstances can feel like a gut punch. These severe trials, which send us staggering for stable footing, make us feel as if we’ve been swept onto an avalanche of shifting sand.

The death of a loved one, a severed relationship, acute health issue, financial collapse, etc. breed emotional turmoil. These heart breaks threaten our ability to cope with new realities and life’s never ending demands.

Following are a couple of rock-solid truths which hold no matter what. They bring us courage, during even the hardest of times.

Rocks of Stability 

Abiding Nearness

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me (Psalm 23:4a NASB).

When I think of the shadow of death, a scene from  Return of the King,  comes to mind. As the brave trio approached the Haunted Mountain, Tolkien writes, “A dread fell on them, even as they passed between the lines of ancient stones and so came to the Dimholt. There under the gloom of black trees that not even Legolas could long endure they found a hollow place opening at the mountain’s root, and right in their path stood a single mighty stone like a finger of doom.”  [1]

This scene drips with fear, but David assures us in the above Psalm that we can choose not to fear, no matter how thick the darkness. Why? Because God is with us. He is our ever present help, especially in times of trouble. [2]

God is always available to provide abundant comfort in all our afflictions. [3]

Jesus tells us not to be surprised by troubles. They will come. But in Him, we find peace and the courage to endure. These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world (John 16:33 NASB)

For You have been a refuge for me, A tower of strength against the enemy (Psalm 61:3 NASB).

Amid our toughest times, we receive courage because God will never leave or forsake us.

Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9b NASB).

God is our source of strength, especially in our pain.

The Greater Story 

In our pain, we must understand God’s greater purposes.

Jesus tells us He came to give us abundant life. [4] But is abundant life the same thing as happy, smooth circumstances? Or is it the abundance of Christ’s nearness, like Rivers of Living Water welling up from within?

God wants more for us than a better life. When Paul tells us God is working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes, he’s referring to something better than good circumstances. God’s purposes for us are to give us the freedom and joy of being conformed us into the image of Christ.  [5] 

There are profoundly sanctifying forces at work when we cling to Jesus in the midst of our pain. In our trials, our grip on lesser loves is loosened, freeing us to fully enjoy our Jesus. 

See what James, Paul and Peter wrote about the redeeming qualities of our afflictions and trials:

Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4 NASB).

Trials bring us joy because they develop endurance which leads us to being complete, lacking nothing.

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our affliction which occurred in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead (II Corinthians 1:8-9 NASB).

Hardships, especially the severe kinds, can cause us to stop trusting in ourselves and put our faith in God who raises the dead.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the  dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,  who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls (I Peter 1:3-9 NASB).

As we rejoice in the eternal realities of our living hope, our unfading inheritance and the fact that we’re protected by the power of God, Peter tells us we may be distressed by various trials. He says these trials are necessary to prove our faith, as gold purified by fire. He says they result in inexpressible joy for us and praise and honor to God.

The truths concerning God’s greater purposes in our lives can help give us firm footing when life gets really hard. God is at work in our pain, even if we don’t see it.

Story:

A couple of weeks ago I lost my little sister. Even though we saw the signs mounting, her accelerated death caught us all by surprise. She literally worked the same week she died. 

Her loss has been harder for me than the death of my parents ten years ago.

Even though she was my only sister, I would kid her by saying she was my favorite. Truly she was the best sister anyone could ask for. I can’t think of an argument we ever had during her entire life. Being the two oldest, we were foxhole buddies during the divorce of our parents. She was always there.

Her death is allowing me to access unshed tears from years gone by. Perhaps, for the first time, I’m learning to grieve.

Days after her death I cried out to the Lord in my journal, not knowing how to process my concern for her eternal state and the huge, gapping hole in my heart. I asked Him if He wanted to say anything to me.

In my spirit, I sensed Him  say, “I am enough.” 

No matter how sad I am and how much I grieve, God is enough. He is with me. To the extent I call to Him, especially in my pain, He is and will be my El Shaddai, my All Sufficient One. 

Since then, as I travel this path of grief,  I’m beginning to know God in a deeper way. It seems the greater my pain the greater His sufficiency.

Conclusion

Life is hard. We face troubles. What’s important is how we respond.

Do we keep on going, striving best we can, ignoring what we’re going through?

Do we dedicate ourselves to all manner of false affections which temporarily numb the pain? 

Do we curl up in a fetal position and shut life out?

Or, do we recognize that what we’re going through is no surprise to God. Our God of all comfort is an ever-present help in our affliction. He is near to our broken heart. God can use our pain in marvelous ways we would have never perceived. Like a master surgeon, God is at work to free us to fully enjoy Him.

Prayer

Lord, I don’t grieve well. I don’t know how. I’m sorry for the many times I’ve minimized my pain because I didn’t know what to do with it. But You’re showing my that living with You in my pain gives me an opportunity to know You in uniquely deeper ways.

Please guide my grief of my sister. I miss her so much. Thank You that You are enough, even now.

 Amen.

Personal Study

Highlight II Corinthians 1:3-10 

Explain it in your own words

Apply it to your life

Respond to God in prayer 

[1] The Return of the King, Houghton Mifflin 1956, p. 49

[2] Psalm 46:1-3

[3] II Corinthians 1:3-5

[4] John 10:10

[5] Romans 8:28-29

Previous posts in the UP series:

God’s Amazing Love

God’s Essential Love

What Hides God’s Love

Christ Lives in Me

Raised up with Christ

Who’s your Treasure?

Obtaining the Joy of Jesus 

Orienting Life from Above

.Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.

Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

What happens when a professor figures out how to send messages to his younger self to try and avoid the suicide of his best friend? Did he change more than he bargained for?  Beyond Time

By finding two undelivered letters in a old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowing set off a series of events which uncover a plot to wipe out a whole family Hope Remains