“No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death,” (Ecclesiastes 8:8a). Death is a reality in this fallen world and has been ever since Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden and imputed his sin into the world. Indeed, we all shall die. No one can prevent it or predict it. Sure, we can be good stewards of our lives by eating healthy and exercising regularly, abstaining from this and that, but that won’t stop us from being hit by a bus.
Here is an update from my dad yesterday:
Angie is not going to get much better without super expensive medications. The specialist is going to try to help get them. She is only expected to survive 6 months without them, and maybe 3+ years with them. She will be on oxygen from now on. Angie might go home Thursday but we’re not for sure yet. Happy Valentines Day.
A prognosis is a doctor’s estimate of how much longer a person is going to live. It is really a misnomer, because it is from the Greek word prognosko, which means “I foreknow”, or to turn it into a noun, foreknowledge. I say it is a misnomer because, although we can estimate how long a person is going to live based on a long history of other people with the same condition, that doesn’t mean that we can know when a person will live or die. Indeed, no one can.
We can and will pray that God has mercy on Angie and extends her days here on Earth. We will even pray that God heals her. But what if He doesn’t? What if God takes her today? What if He takes me today? Does that make God bad?
To answer that question, we must understand that we do not deserve to live. In fact, we deserve the wrath of God. God is holy. We are sinners and have been since the incident in the Garden. God’s punishment for sin is death (both physical, in that it is a reality in this present world, and spiritual, in that He punishes sinners for all eternity). Jesus died to save His people, those who call upon Him in repentance and faith, and was punished for them. Does that mean that we can avoid the punishment for sin? The answer is both yes and no. Yes, we will avoid the punishment of eternal torment. However, we will still die on this Earth. Our bodies will return to the ground and rot, while our spirits go to be with Christ (if we’re saved).
How does this relate to Angie? Here’s the hard truth: God may not heal her. She may suffer. God is still good, because giving her the 40 years that she’s had on Earth thus far is more than she deserves. God has blessed her tremendously. He is good to us all, though none deserve it. God may heal her and give her another 40 years on this Earth. If He does, then I pray that He will receive the glory for it. If not, then it will just be sooner that Angie leaves this fallen world and goes to be with her Savior, where there will be no more suffering. In the Resurrection, Angie will have a resurrected physical body with lungs that work better than they ever did and a heart that will never stop beating. She will eat, see, smell, touch, taste, and rejoice. And so will you, if you have trusted in Christ.
Heavenly Father,
You are the creator of all things. You made Adam from the dust of the ground and breathed life into him. All things work together for the good for those who love you and are called according to your purposes, because you are sovereign and sustain all things. You are good to us, Lord, even though we are sinners and have broken all of your commandments. We pray for Angie. Lord, you have appointed a time for her to leave this world and you will take her in accordance with your will. We pray that you will give her many days and weeks and months and years on this Earth, and that you will relieve her suffering and make her lungs to work better, and even that you would heal her. We pray that you would make a way for her to receive the medications that her body needs. Finally, we pray that you would give her your strength and peace and us as well. We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen.