My Fathers Passing and God's Faithfulness

When my father passed away on March 1st, I quickly realized that not many men my age have lost a parent. It is a frightening and sobering feeling to be 26 and to know that you have many years of life experiences that will not be shared with a parent who you know would have been so proud. The realizations were difficult because: I am the only one of five kids who does not have children yet; I just purchased my first house; I just got my first dog; I bought my first brand new car. Things like this, as insignificant as it may seem in life, are the kind of experiences that one wants to share with parents.

Yet, regardless of the fact that in this life, my father will not be there to experience these things with me, I have been brought to one more realization: that my grief is replaced with the truth that my father is surrounded by God's glory. Any joy that could have been shared with him on this earth is but a mere glimpse of the everlasting joy and "pleasures evermore" (Psalm 16:11) that my father experiences every day for the rest of eternity. Of course I miss him, but Jesus said that "if you love me you would be happy that I am going to the Father". And, I could not be happier in knowing that my father, despite severe suffering on this earth, is without pain and sorrow and is in the presence of God Almighty in worship, praise, and adoration of the risen King. He can walk the streets of gold with His saviour and talk. And he can fall prostrate before Jesus in the beautiful fields in worship of Him who saved him.

So, with that in mind, it is true: My father may not have had the opportunity to see me raise a family, but I know that one day we will experience the family of God in complete joy and pleasure for eternity; He may not have had the opportunity to see my new house, but one day, we will sit in one of the "many rooms" that Jesus has prepared for His children, and talk about the glories of God and how God painted the sky with stars and how He knows every one of them by name; he may not have had the opportunity to live a healthy, pain-free life, but he is now completely healed by Jesus’ stripes--healed from the sickness of a sinful heart and healed of the devastation that sin causes in ones body.

What is amazing to me is how God comforts His children during these times. Let me preface by saying that for almost 10 years, through church after church, God has used John Piper as a mentor for me. When true Christianity has been absent, Desiring God Ministries brought the reality of God to my heart. When I was downcast, I was reminded of the joy that can be found in Christ. And when I question doctrines and grasped to understand God’s sovereignty, it was John Piper that helped me to fine tune my faith and understanding. I owe a great debt to Desiring God ministries for their faithfulness to God and His word.

That being said, when John Piper’s father died on March 6^th, just five days after my father died, I was amazed at how God comforts His children. My father had been sick for a few years and God’s timing was amazing to me. God did not abandon me, yet He showed me how a Christian man should grieve and rejoice at the passing of a saint. He brought comfort and understanding during something I had never experienced before through John Piper’s sermon and writings during that time. For a man that I have respected and been changed by to experience the same thing at nearly the exact time, I knew that God was just so gracious to comfort me during that time. And for that I am so thankful.

Don't ever miss the lessons and comforts that God provides when doors seem that they have been shut. God is always doing a thousand things with every one thing that happens in our life. And He promises His children that every one of those thousand things that He orchestrates will work for our good. Don't miss what God is doing and don't despair when it seems like God is doing nothing. He is doing a mighty work, and HAS done a mighty work. Don't miss God's faithfulness to His children and His kindness when we are suffering. He is there, working everything together for good for His children.