“A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted.”

(Ecclesiastes 3:2 ESV)

“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”

(Hebrews 9:27-28 ESV)

It is normal to anticipate something that may or may not happen. That happening may be something that we want or something that we dread.

There is a famous quotation, attributed to Benjamin Franklin in 1789: “In this life, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” It is absolutely true that death is certain. Equally true, however, is that no-one knows when.

The famous hockey player, Guy Lafleur, who died on April 22, 2022, was quoted as saying that you should always play each game as if it is the final game of your life.

The fact that you are reading this establishes that it is not yet time for you to meet your Maker. But when you will, you don’t know for certain!

On a Saturday in 2005, my 41-year-old son, diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, was told that he had three days to live. Since John had made his peace with God, he spent the remaining time trying to help his family and his church where he was the pastor. In fact, he lived for a week. God gave four additional days for his wife, his children, and the rest of us close to him to be blessed by his life. On Wednesday and Thursday, he faded, and on Friday, he showed no signs of consciousness except for breathing. But when his mother and I gave him our parting blessing, I will never forget how John squeezed my hand. Even though we thought that he was unconscious, he had heard our singing and praying with him that day. God had decided that the next Saturday morning was the time for John to take his last breath.

Not all of us are given time to prepare ourselves and our families for our impending demise. Knowing that life is precious but brief, we need to live prepared to meet our Maker in judgment. Is it time for you, for me? We know not when, but what is certain is that we had better be ready, for we know that death is certain.

Prayer: Father, thank You that You have provided a way for us to be reconciled with You through belief in Jesus. Help us to accept that offer and to live confidently in the certainty of eternal life with You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.


Copyright © 2022, by Vincent Walter <vwalter@bell.net>, first published on the PresbyCan Daily Devotional presbycan.ca .
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Reprinted from PresbyCan with author’s permission