My friend has a Problem!

I have just had a conversation with a very good Christian friend who said that his medical specialist and just told him that he has multiple bony secondaries. He is hoping against hope that a cure will be found but he is also a realist.

This set me thinking, ‘What can I say or do to help him?’ He must have let me know this private news because he wants me to be involved with him even though my natural inclination is to stay away and not to face the difficulties. He is a Christian but he is naturally afraid for himself, about the pain and process of dying, but also for his family, some of whom are not yet committed to following the Lord Jesus.

Fear

Fear is natural but Jesus encouraged his followers as he faced his own death with these words,

“Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; just also in me. In my fathers house there are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.’ John 14:1-2

What is so important is for my friend to hang in there in following his Saviour – this is real faith at work when under extreme pressure. This will also have a marked effect on his family.

I will always remember a patient of mine who was dying with advanced liver secondaries. On a teaching ward round in front of many students, nurses and physios she asked,

“Mr. Palmer, when am I going home?”

“Alice, Do you think you are strong enough to cope on your own?”

“No, I don’t mean that. When am I going home to be with the Lord Jesus.”

At the joint coffee afterwards everyone talked about Alice and her confidence in her Saviour. She, in her tiredness embodied the verse,

“We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.” Psalm 33:20-22

My friend remarked,

“As everything is being taken away, all I have is the Lord himself.”

Fear is natural but it need not be crippling. The words of Isaiah as he faced great difficulties are surely relevant for all God’s people, God said to us as well as his coming Messiah,

“You are my servant; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, but I am with you; do not be dismayed, but I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:9-10

As we face God’s judgment it is inevitable that we remember all the wrongs we have done and all that we have failed to do for our Lord. Satan can use guilt to cripple us and remove our confidence. Surely this is why the Lord Jesus says to us,

“Come to me, you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn for me, but I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find a rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-29

Jesus drank the cup of his Father’s wrath, wrath that I do deserve, as my substitute – this is the essential gospel (see 1 Peter 2:24, 2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus also knew that he was going to die and in the Garden of Gethsemane his real fear was portrayed (Luke 22:42), he even prayed for a miracle! However he did not succumb to this fear but resolutely faced the future knowing that it was both his Father’s will and that he would save many by doing so. What is encouraging is that an angel was sent to comfort Jesus at this difficult time (Luke 22:43). Many Christians have affirmed that this was their experience too. I pray that I will face my death in the same determined, resolute manner as my Lord. May my family and friends see something of the Lord Jesus in the way I confidently face the future and may they learn to trust him too. Many Christians plan for their triumphal funeral and even arrange for some Christian literature to be given to all attending. We had a good friend, Jack, who became a Christian in an extraordinary way and during his last days he bought 100 copies of ‘Cure for Life’ which he asked to be distributed to all who attended his funeral. He longed for them to know why he had become a Christian.

Assurance

Assurance is such a wonderful foundation. We can know for certain that we are saved, not through our feelings, which are sure to be disturbed when a person is ill, but because the Word of God has promised. Even that thief who was crucified alongside Jesus was told,

“I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43

The major theme of the book of Hebrews is the absolute supremacy of the Lord Jesus, whatever problems are faced. Satan will want to remove this confidence but we are told,

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God you will receive what he has promised. . . But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed but of those who believe and are saved.” Hebrews 10:35-39

Paul also had this confidence. He recognised that what the psalmist experienced was also his experience, that suffering always has been the lot of God’s people:

“Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” Psalm 44:22

Paul responded,

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. But I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, not any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39

Think of Others

‘Be prepared’ is not only the motto of the scouts movement, it is also a repeated theme in the Bible. We must all be prepared to meet our God, and yet a common reaction is to try and hide and turn away from what is eventually inevitable. What better time is there to speak to family and friends about your confidence?

Jon Farrar was a Christian headmaster who was also a superb sportsman and athlete. He developed progressive motor neurone disease and knew what to expect. At first he thought of suicide but then he recognised how he could still serve his Lord. He spent the last few months of his life telling the many friends and colleagues who came to visit him about his confidence in the Lord Jesus and unashamedly urged them to look at the evidence for Jesus’ claims. To do this he had a speech machine! He gave his visitors copies of the book ‘Cure for Life’ which explains what he wanted them to know about Jesus. Now none of his possessions or savings meant much to him. His treasure was elsewhere.

What a privilege it is to share these difficult times with a friend or family member and our Lord. It helps us to sort out what really matters in my life.

BVP