When Death Looks Bigger than Life

Have you ever experienced grief to the point of death?

I have. A few years ago, I went through a season that nearly stole my life. I had anguished in brokenness and confusion while God did an intricate work of mending my splintered soul and healing my battered mind and emotions. The enemy had viciously torn me apart, and before God fully put me back together, I had despaired to the point of wanting to give up.

Why did the enemy want me dead? Because I had endured the hardest test of my life to date, it took everything out of me, and the devil knew my victory would lead God to take full vengeance upon him. My survival and overcoming meant satan would lose his grip on me and I would rise again as more than a conqueror.

Jesus gets it

Back in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus separated from his disciples to pray, feeling a “grief to the point of death.” He pleaded with His Father, God, to “Let this cup pass from Me.” Was the Savior trying to get out of His own destiny? Does this imply that Jesus succumbed to temptation? None of that could be further from the truth!

Jesus had read the book of Isaiah and knew the gruesome torture that had to take place before He reached the cross. I believe He knew this physical torture had the potential to kill Him—prematurely. Picture it, the Savior of the world had to “walk through the valley of Death’s shadow” on His way to save the world. He was hated, despised, shamed, whipped and beaten, and His own people wanted Him dead at any cost. He had to survive the valley to reach the Cross. (I’d want that cup to pass too!)

Prior to His passionate prayer in the garden, Jesus had taken communion with His disciples (the Passover meal) and would soon become every Believer’s Living communion elements—bread and wine. The Shepherd-Savior survived His own valley experience and now, with profound empathy toward our frailty, He prepares a feast for those who take up their cross and follow Him with all heart, soul, and strength.

Walking through your valley…

When premature death (satan’s plan) hovers over you like a shadow, it appears imminent. But it’s a LIE.

Truth: behind whatever is causing the shadow is a bigger Light. Always. When walking through your own valley, it’s perfectly legit to cry out vehemently with tears for God, as Jesus did. To ask Him to spare you from premature death, to strengthen you to push through, so you can finish the race and fulfill His destiny for you on this earth.

Remind yourself that God Himself prepares a table for you. Every believer has been given a 24/7 invitation to commune with Beloved Jesus, our Living Bread and Living Wine. And you’ll dine with Him while your enemies are forced to watch.

photo via Pixabay

Look for the Table!

After you give the Lord all your anxieties and make your petition with boldness, as Jesus did in the garden, look for the table. He will anoint your head with oil and cause your cup to overflow, for His goodness and mercy chase you everywhere you go. He guards your soul. He keeps you from all evil. He always leads you on paths of righteousness, and His Word (when you read and absorb it) lights your path.

Those who stay intimate with Christ can never lose.

So stay. Stand. Look for the Table. You are called to be more than an overcomer.

Lord Jesus, thank You for becoming weak so You could understanding my frailty. Thank You for showing me how to pray when I’m in great distress and feel like the world’s falling down around me. I choose today to place all my trust in You and You alone. Amen.

Sowing Seeds of Bravery to Stay Standing

“And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” 1 John 5:5 (NLT)