Death of a Loved One
From time-to-time events cause us to deeply consider the reality of our own mortality. One of those times inevitably is when we experience the death of someone close to us. This is particularly true in a situation that involves a devastating disease such as cancer or a tragic accident – those times when death is unexpected and premature. Experiencing the process causes us to be very realistic about just what we are as physical beings.
Many of the Psalms capture the thoughts at such a time and help provide us with focus. The over-riding sense we are left with is that if our lives are committed to God, He is surely involved. What we experience in this life aids us in seeing God as the true source of life. In Psalm 36:9, the psalmist states, “For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.” A fountain represents a source – the point of origin.
The Tree of Life
In Genesis we read the description of a garden God planted eastward in Eden in which man was placed. In this garden were trees which were pleasant to the sight and good for food. We are introduced to two special trees each with an important symbolism – life, both physical and spiritual. We are told that a river and its tributaries went out of Eden, providing water to the garden (Genesis 2:8-10). In this sense the garden, the two trees and the river all represented the source of life.
All life flows from God. The more we are attached to Him, the more we are able to drink of “the fountain of life” (Psalm 36:8). By drinking from this source, we are able to see the truth about life. In His mercy He draws us into His light. “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it (John 1:4-5).
Into The Light
In this physical life, before God calls us, we experience the darkness of a life without the knowledge of God’s purpose. Suffering and death is not understood in this state of darkness. As we walk in the light that shines in this darkness, divine knowledge illuminates understanding of the real life that God has prepared for man. “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). This not only provides a source of comfort for us, but also a source of reassurance with which we can be a calming support to the ones suffering.
Brian Orchard