A Good Death

 

Many people don't like to think about death but hey, here's a novel idea - let's face it head on.  Prepare for a "good death".  You may ask, "How?" or "What do you mean by that - a good death?"

No it's NOT about suicide or planning out your funeral.  It's not really about how one is good living, although I do believe its important to live well.

It's more about, are we living right in the eyes of God?  In Mediaevel times when a person got a chance to have a death bed end, the priests would come give "the last rights" after the person had confessed their sins.  This was called "a good death" - not that I'm advocating this is the way of salvation.

Certainly, we need to seek God and forgiveness of our sins which He, not another human being, will grant when there is true repentance.  There is something more that God wants us to know though.

The Psalm 90 psalmist says that,

"...our days may come to 70 years, or 80, if our strength endures" (v10 NIV).

Days which will all pass too quickly.  Moses added a request because of these "few days".  He asked God to,

"Teach us to number our days..." (v13).

Why?  In order,

"...that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (v13).

We could say that an element of having a good death would be when a person had gained that wise heart.  Also, to see that our God is eternal (vs 1).  He doesn't die.  He is the one who made each of us, quickening us with His breath.

Part of the heart of wisdom is to repent of our sins.  God is a just God and He sent Jesus the Savior so that when we do repent and ask His forgiveness it will be given and we will escape God's all powerful, terrifying indignation and wrath.

Our sicknesses and the moanings of our human fraility is nothing compared to the punishment reserved for those with unrepentant hearts.  Not many use their hearts wisely.  Those who choose life and godliness will have these wiser hearts and live more joyfully.  When we live for the Lord's glory we learn how to live in step with the Holy Spirit.  We will have a better life, serving the Lord and building up treasure in Heaven.  This is wisdom that leads to a good death.

Some eulogy's at some people's funerals will make you gag and have you taking a second look at the body in the coffin, asking, "Am I at the right funeral?"  Other times, eulogy's are perfectly apt.  These latter departed ones had lived that God-honoring life and had had a good death.

Let us too, live a joyful, godly life as Francis Schaeffer is purported to have said,

"Do the Lord's work in the Lord's way."

Don't inflict or inject our willful desires but follow the will, desires and interests of the Lord's.

Would you want to extend or shorten your life beyond those alloted 70-80 years?  It's a known fact, of course, that people do die much younger or even significantly older.  However would you tamper  with the number of your life's days, which are already fleeting as compared to eternity, by asking for medical intervention to curtail your life sooner?

There are those people living in great pain, whether physically or emotionally, scarred from childhood and/or marital brutality; or because when one lives to a certain age, the peer group is rather slim pickings.  Sadness and loneliness for a spouse, sibling, friends long gone, can no doubt be depressing and therefore the wish to 'leave' sooner.

A believer in Jesus Christ could beseech the Lord to take him or her home asap.  However, in the end, one still needs to await His timing.  To have a good death, engage in a good life and wiser heart as much as possible.

What God does for us, we can do for Him.  If He satisfies our longing and mourning, we can sing it in praise to Him.  We can be glad all our days living for Him.  When He shows His deeds to us by establishing and helping us in our work we can tell out those mercies and grace - all the wonderful works of the Lord.

Without Him we can do nothing, so get going and plant seeds in others to do similarly.  They too can look forward to a wise heart and a good death.

Therefore, let us concentrate on having that good death.  Looking to Jesus who was our prime and perfect example of having a good death, we glean perspective.  Yes, Jesus died due to persecution.  A horrendous death but a good death.  There was purpose - our salvation.

I'm not saying to purposely put yourself in a position to be persecuted!  NO!  Christians need to learn from Jesus by having no regrets about how we lived our lives, how we were good stewards of our number of days, and of having done good service for the Lord.  Let's each let our lives be one continual witness for Him and then die with a heart of wisdom and a good death, in His good time.

Of course, Jesus may call us all home to Him upon the clouds of rapture.  Either way, let it be wise and good.

                                                       ~ERC  June 2022~

Based on Psalm 90 NIV.

Based on Lesson 11 - Praying Our Death, from Psalms, Prayers of the Heart Bible Study by Eugene H. Peterson.