DEATH. A dear young friend of mine has a grandmother who is very ill. I was meditating prayerfully one night, thinking of ways to explain to her about death, when the Holy Spirit came up with an illustration that was so powerful I thought I would share it here. Imagine you are in a house with someone you love. Now, tell them to go into another room and close the door, and tell them not to respond to you if you should call out to them, bang on the wall, or pass notes to them, for a little while. OK. Now some questions for you: Can you see them? Can you talk to them? Can you bring them out of that room in any way, except for your prior arrangement to bring them back? Obviously the answer is no. But they are not GONE are they? They are just out of your reach, temporarily.

I am sure most people are familiar with the story of Jairus' daughter, (Matthew 9:18-19; 23-25), and the story of Lazarus, (John 11:2-44). I want to look at them from a unique angle for a few moments. Jesus "called" those two people in my illustrations back from the dead like they were just in the next room. And they came back! When they came back they were still the same people they were before they died. What I mean by that is, they came back from death like they had never been dead. They walked, talked, breathed and lived out the rest of their lives with no physical change. They looked the same as before. The only difference for them was they had been temporarily dead to this world.

We think of people when they are dead as being "gone." But they are just somewhere else where we cannot see them! Jesus has POWER over life and death so He called the two people in my illustration back from death just like we would call someone back from another room! When people are dead we cannot see them or hear them, or get in touch with them, anymore. But they are not GONE, they are just somewhere where we cannot reach them. Yet, those two people, Jairus' daughter and Lazarus were very dead to their relatives! They had no way of knowing that the separation they were feeling was just temporary.

When I thought about this, I believe I gained more insight into the scripture that exhorts us "not to grieve as those who have no hope do." Jesus proved to us, even before He died, that death means people are just somewhere else, outside our control, BUT NOT OUTSIDE HIS CONTROL. He can bring people back from death just like we can call someone back from another room. Because they had not changed because of the experience, this also means to me that I will know those I love, and they will know me. (I am aware the bible teaches we will all be changed to be like Him, Hallelujah, but the thing that makes me me, and you you will still be there!)

So when my young friend's grandmother dies, she will not be gone forever. But, more importantly, it means that we can trust Jesus implicitly. He proved to us, many times, even before He died, that death is just a change of state, and HE HAS POWER OVER IT. I pray that will comfort you too.