THE SKY, NOT THE GRAVE

But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

The sky, not the grave, is our goal;

Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!

Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.

One of the reasons why I love Horatio Stafford’s  hymn, “It is Well With My Soul”, is because of it deep insight and theological balance. It’s a song about sorrow and yet about joy. It’s a hymn about trails and yet about victory. In one verse it seems to resign to death yet in the next, it confidently denies that possibility.

Such apparent contradiction is what distinguishes a mature believer from a spiritual toddler. These ‘tensions’ are all over the pages of Scripture. For how can God be our deliverer if we’re never in trouble? How can God be our Jehovah Jireh if we’re never in need? How can we be termed Victors if we’re unwilling to face the battles of life?

Our Lord said in John 16:33, “In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Not embracing this balance is what causes lopsided Believers. One extreme group shouts that once you become a Christian, life will become a bed of roses; and the other side contends that Christianity is all about suffering, persecution and pain. Both are wrong.

Back to our hymn, the last verses show that, though Spafford was resolved to stand in faith in spite of the worst calamity Satan may throw at him, he didn’t accept that to be his life experience.

As Believers, we should know that God has promised us long life, deliverance, healing and prosperity – here on this Earth and in this lifetime (Mk 10:29,30); it's not a mark of high spirituality to deny this truth.

While maturity admits that “Many are the afflictions of the righteous”, it also affirms that “the LORD delivers him out of them ALL”. (Ps 34:19)

Look up Beloved, good things are ahead for you. Your deliverance, healing and prosperity are sure. And not many days hence, the world  shall see the resplendent greatness of God’s Grace upon your life in Jesus’ name.

AMEN.

GREG ELKAN