I saw the bump in the road long before I recognized what it was. The guy in the white pickup truck pulling his boat down the highway, probably coming from his favorite fishing lake after opening day, recognized the deer first and swerved hard to the right. When I realized the dark form in the center of the road had ears, I swerved hard to the left, letting the front left wheel of the van roll along the grass beyond the roadbed.
She had already been hit by an earlier vehicle. She was half lying in the road, head and neck raised and trying valiantly with her front legs to stand and move, but her back quarters remained on the asphalt, immobile, useless, no doubt the result of a broken spine. There was terror in her eyes. I could see it as a drove by, trying not to hit her.
I hate that. I hate it more than I have words for, when natural innocence meets human ingenuity and suffering results. I hate it when pain and suffering take hold needlessly in the lives of those who cannot protect themselves. And I hate it even more when I cannot help, cannot alter the past or fix the present or provide for a future.
I drove for miles trying to forget those eyes, those pummeling front hooves gaining no ground, the useless rear legs splayed out across the center line. I drove and prayed that someone more prepared than I might come along and provide the help the broken doe needed. And I found myself talking to God about death, and suffering, and the world we all live in.
The apostle Paul wrote, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Romans 8:18-25, ESV).
I find comfort and perspective in God’s truth, truth revealed in His word. Beyond suffering, beyond death, there is hope. Now, in this time, in this world, there is futility, life energy spent that, no matter how well spent, how successful, must yield to death. But suffering and death are not the end of the story. Jesus Christ died on the cross taking the sins of the world upon himself and receiving in his body the punishment all sin deserves: death. But he is not still dead. He lives. God raised Jesus Christ from the dead to die never again. Death is beaten!
Today we groan inwardly at the reality of death as all creation does, wishing it away, cursing the imposition of its power over us, weeping at the sight of those who must face it while we do not and we can do nothing to stop its tyranny over us. But God has mercifully destroyed death and stripped it of its power by raising Jesus from the dead.
But one day, I am sure of it, as sure as I live and breathe, all those who put their faith in Christ and trust in God through Him shall rise from death to forever life. Mortal will put on immortality and we will live forever with Christ in the glory of God. This is the hope that fill my heart when death seeks to steal away all joy.
This is God’s Good News for me. I trust it may be Good News for you as well.
Pastor Dale McIntire has served as pastor of the Cornerstone Community Church in Grand Marais since April of 1995.
Leave a Reply