| “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil” (Psalm 23:4). |
| “And they stoned Stephen … and … he fell asleep” (Acts 7:59-60). |
| It may seem strange to write a meditation for young people about dying. But I am sure that we each need some comfort and understanding on this subject. You may have had a beloved grandparent or a friend die. They may have been an encouragement to you in your Christian pathway. But then they die. Dying is not easy. Yes, we close our eyes here, and open them in the presence of the Lord Jesus. Wonderful! We know that happens. But it is often a struggle and may be filled with pain. |
| I enjoyed the way a father explained it to his little boy who had lost his mother. He had seen her suffer, but the father wanted to explain that the “sting” had gone out of death for the Christian. (Read 1 Corinthians 15:55). They were walking along the street and came to a corner and had to wait while a big truck turned the corner onto the street in front of them. As it did this, the shadow of the truck passed across the father and his son. The dad saw his opportunity. He said, “Son, see how that big shadow of the truck just went across us? But the truck didn’t touch us? Well, it is like that when someone who loves Jesus goes through death. It’s as though Jesus, on the cross, had the truck run right over Him, so we just have to pass through its shadow.” The shadow of that big truck was like, “The valley of the shadow of death,” as in today’s verse. |
| Another story also explains a sweet thought. Over one hundred years ago a Christian family was being hunted by those who were anti-Christian, and the father was very fearful that they would all have a terrible death if they were caught. He could not help but think how painful it would be if they all had to face a martyr’s death, even his wife and children. But the Lord reminded him of our second verse in today’s reading. It is about Stephen who was stoned to death for his faith in the early days of the church, soon after the Lord Jesus was risen. What does it say about how he died? He fell asleep! This brought the necessary comfort to that father. He knew that if it came to the point that they would all be killed, then the Lord could make it to be just like falling asleep. The Lord did not allow them to be caught and the father eventually wrote a most interesting book about their life experiences. |
| We are daily expecting the Lord to come and take us all to be with Him. And when He does that, we also know that those who have gone before will join us in being caught up “together” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). |
