August 22, 2020
“I Will Rise”
by Chris Tomlin
“There’s a peace I’ve come to know, though my heart and flesh may fail. There’s an anchor for my soul. I can say, ‘It is well.’”
In 2016, I took a college course called The Psychology of Death and Dying. At the beginning of the semester, the professor (who I later found out was a devout Christian) asked us if we were afraid of death. When she asked us that, I was not. As a Christian, I have put my faith in Jesus Christ and the salvation from death that I have received through Him. One day I will be in heaven worshipping God with all the saints for eternity. So no, I was not afraid of death. Until April of that year.
In April, Mr. Renollet, a member of my church family, passed away unexpectedly. It was around this time that I started to feel myself becoming afraid of death. Doubts and fears of death swirled in my head. I’ve had people in my life pass away before, and I’ve been to many wakes and funerals and never once been afraid of death like that, at least not that I remember. So, I couldn’t understand why this felt different. Why was I feeling this fear of death? Was it from the suddenness of the situation?
I decided to talk to my professor about my feelings. Her response was, “You know what, Bailey? That’s just the devil trying to make you afraid of death.” I honestly don’t remember what else was said, just what happened afterwards. I got into my car, and the first song that came on the radio was, “I Will Rise” by Chris Tomlin. It was such a “God-wink” moment! I felt the Holy Spirit move me and I suddenly felt a flood of relief. I felt a release of fear and anxiety. God could not have presented that song to me at a more opportune time.
In his 3rd Theolog, Pastor George said, “The reason we are so scared of death is because we make too little of Christ’s resurrection.” That is exactly what I had been doing. Once I stopped trusting in God’s promise of salvation, the more I started to fear death. I had been allowing Satan to get a foothold on me
Honestly, these thoughts are something I still struggle with—the fears of when and how death will happen, and even Jesus’ coming again. But now, when God’s says my time is up here on this earth, I have confidence in knowing the I WILL rise. I will rise with no hesitations or reservations. I will rise to a place where there is no sorrow, no tears, and where all my focus will be on worshipping God.
Right now, with the coronavirus on our hands (no pun intended), you may be having similar anxieties regarding death. You may be wondering if this pandemic is a sign of the end times, and that might give you anxiety as well. My prayer for you is that you may rest assured in God’s promise of salvation. Use “I Will Rise” as a reminder of what is to come—our resurrection with Christ and His coming again. And don’t minimize Christ’s resurrection. It really is a big deal!
We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
~2 Corinthians 5:7-8
