Throughout the next few
weeks, this blog will examine certain “snapshots” of D.L. Moody, which I hope
will bring a deeper appreciation for this servant and a greater love for the
God whom he gave his life to.
This is a letter Moody wrote to
his children regarding the death of their son and his only grandson (who had his namesake):
"I know Dwight is having a good time, and we should rejoice with him. What would mansions be without children? He was the last to come into our circle, and he is the first to go up there! So safe, so free from all the sorrow that we are passing through! I do thank God for such a life. It was nearly all smiles and sunshine, and what a glorified body he will have, and with what joy he will await your coming! God does not give us such strong love for each other for a few days or years, but it is going to last forever, and you will have the dear little man with you for ages and ages, and love will keep increasing. The Master has need of him, or He would not have called him; and you should feel highly honored that you anything in your home that He wanted.” (p. 537)
The first time I read this
account, I could not help thinking about my only son, Oaks. How hard it would
be if God called him home! To imagine life here without him, without his smile,
without his laughter is almost unbearable. Even now there is a little bubble in
my throat, holding back the tears.
Yet, I want to ask this
question, “How can Moody be so sure?”
It is because he believed in
a purposeful God.
My favorite sentence in
Moody’s letter was this: “The Master has need of him, or He would not have
called him”. Moody’s words assume he had a correct understanding of the goodness
of God and the sovereignty of God. Therefore, he knew that the death of God’s
own is not too early or too late or an accident; it is simply time to come home for another purpose.
For many people, even
Christians, the problem lies in our concept of Heaven and Eternity. The image
of clouds, harps and white-robed people floating with endless serenity reinforces
this mindset that eternity is without purpose and without substance. I am pleased
that many Christians have retreated from this view, which is called the
Spiritual Vision Model of eschatology (formulated and espoused by the early
church fathers, Origin and Augustine) and embraced the New Creation model of eschatology (seen
clearly in the writings of Randy Alcorn). For a fuller presentation of this
issue, I would highly recommend digesting this article from my Seminary professor.
It is because he understood
the transitory nature of this life.
These simple two words
“passing through” are very important. It means there is something beyond this
present life. The atheists are wrong and without hope. Moody, on the other hand, believed
this truth because he trusted in the authoritative word of God.
God says:
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Therefore
we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man
is being renewed day by day. 17 For momentary, light affliction is
producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18
while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not
seen; for the things which are seen
are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Revelation 21:3-4 And I heard a loud
voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with
man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will
be with them as their God. 4 He
will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither
shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have
passed away."
It sounds better, doesn’t it?
It sounds sweeter, doesn’t it? This is why for those who have trusted in the substitutionary
work of Jesus Christ and Him alone…..death is understood as a “homegoing” and a
“celebration”.
Yet the loss of a loved one
still hurts. Tears still flow often. For most the grief comes back at piercing
moments when the memory of them becomes fuzzy and faint. But the hope of a
reunion burns brighter for those who long to see Jesus. It is not that the
memory of the loved one is absorbed in the sea of Jesus. Instead, we begin to
see our loved one through the lens of eternity, the finality of our salvation.
What do we see through that
lens? We see our loved ones doing what they were created for, the worship of
the Creator. We see our loved ones living without sin, without pain and without
suffering. We see our loved ones watching with wonder God conducting His business
through the means of His angels. We see our loved ones cheering us on, longing
for the days when we can embrace again (Heb. 12:1-2).
I have asked God before that
he might spare me the pain of watching my children go to Heaven before me. But
if, in His perfect plan, He chooses to take them home, may I never question His
goodness, but instead be thankful that because of the forgiveness found at the cross, I can spend eternity with my Creator and my loved ones.
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