In his book The Mystery of Marriage, Mike Mason said, “[Death] builds by slow degrees of awareness like the unfolding of a murder mystery in which we ourselves turn out be the victim.”
Yes, death is a mystery. A veiled, relentless threat. It is the essence of separation and sadness. This makes death a repulsive word to many people. For them, to speak of death is to discuss life’s most unfathomable reality. The word paralyzes them. They see death as a dark, foreboding, abysmal, incomprehensible gulf.
There’s a danger in that kind of thinking. Author and pastor Henry van Dyke (1852-1933) observed, “Some people are so afraid to die that they never begin to live.” The fear of dying deprives many people of happiness and contentment.
Psalm 23 makes it clear that this doesn’t have to be true for the Christian. If you’re a child of God and are afraid of dying, consider these reassuring facts: God is right beside you (v. 4). He will comfort you (v. 4). He provides for you in spite of your enemies (v. 5). He makes goodness and mercy follow you (v. 6). He will receive you at death into His house (v. 6).
Don’t be ashamed to admit you’re afraid of dying. Ask God to replace your fear with the confidence He can give. – J. David Branon
As shadows come and death appears,
We are at times beset by fears
Until we sense Christ’s outstretched hand
Inviting us to His blest land. – D. J. De Haan
Those who fear God need not fear death.
November 15, 1990, Our Daily Bread
For You 