Life is precious. As we traverse our daily journey each and every day, life is a gift allowed and offered by the hand of Almighty God. And we do not know when that gift might spontaneously expire. In the last few months, we have had two close acquaintances quietly pass away in the night, both relatively young men. I had an uncle pass away in the night at only 49 years young. I had a sister-in-law and a niece taken in a car accident. She being barely 20 years old and her daughter not yet 1. She was buried holding her baby daughter. The guarantee of life is just this, it is not guaranteed at all.
These people were taken suddenly, without time to ponder and peruse the closure of their lives. But what about those that are given more notice? Maybe weeks or months? It could be cancer or some other disease that is quickly draining the life from their cells. For these, they have been given both the blessing and the curse of seeing the end. How do you handle such information? I recently read a short excerpt about a young preacher that had been diagnosed with stage four cancer. The diagnosis was certain, his closure on it, less than certain. He wrote a letter to his close friends, allow me to share:
“One thing I have discovered in the last few days. When a Christian is suddenly confronted with the sentence of death, he surely begins to give a proper evaluation of material things; my fishing gear and books, and orchard are not nearly so valuable as they were a week ago.”
Processing the value. Evaluating what is precious in life. How many times have you heard people say, if I only knew that was going to happen, I would have done things a lot differently. Friends, there is a guarantee that looms over each and every human life that has and ever will be born onto this planet. The day of death will come calling for us all.
But for those that call Christ their Lord and Savior this day will be one of celebration, joy, and homecoming. The day that sons and daughters of Jesus are allowed to gaze upon the Father’s face, should be held as precious for Christians in this life. And that brings up just the point. What is truly precious to you in this life?
Chapter 20 of 2 Kings finds us at the deathbed of good king Hezekiah. He has become deathly ill and the prophet Isaiah has told him what I’m sure his body has already spoken, he is going to die soon. And just as any human that gets this harsh bit of info does, his mind goes to work processing the words. His mind begins to chew these tough bits, trying its best to digest the indigestible and unpalatable morsels it’s suddenly been given. What do you do when you learn that your life is soon to become a memory? In a vein that we would expect from a godly faithful man, he talks to the only one that he can in a moment like this…Almighty God.
“Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, “Now, O Lord, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.” 2 Kings 20:2-3
A life looked back upon in its last days must be bittersweet. Recalling the moments that life burgeoned, bright spots of life, highlighted in the memory. And the moments lost, days and even years that could have and should have been disbursed better. The opportunities that were passed and the ones that were seized welded together by the many passing years. The times spent well and the times that were squandered on self. Hezekiah in this flood of emotion turns his face to the wall, he prays. His prayer takes him out of this world and right into the throne room of Heaven to speak with his creator. He recollects a life spent serving and loving the Lord. He recalls a life spent chasing the goodness of God and the battles that it brought with the world. He recalls the countless times God delivered him and the city. He counts the blessings of the Lord that has allowed him to continue this path. And in the realization that it is about to draw to closure, he weeps. He weeps bitterly.
The prophet Isaiah leaves him, allowing this personal moment with God to play out as it should. A life and its Lord reflecting on the days. But before Isaiah can fully depart, the Lord has him return to Hezekiah's bedside to deliver a message.
“I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord, and I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake.” 2 Kings 20:5b-7a
A new lease on life. 15 years, guaranteed by God. If Hezekiah’s synapses had been overloaded before, surely now they were in danger of a red-hot overload. He had been brought to the brink of eternity and now he is allowed to step back and take a deep breath. After you have come so close to death, after coming so near to the end, how do you embrace a new beginning?
I really want this story to end so differently. To see Hezekiah not only continue to walk closely with the Lord but draw closer than ever before. That as a result of this near-death experience, his ideal of what is precious in this life would have been cemented in those last moments. But alas, the human heart is fickle. What is precious can easily be confused. Precious things can be easily mistaken for what is truly precious. The king of Babylon sends a delegation to celebrate the recovery of king Hezekiah, a tremendous honor for small town Jerusalem. We’re told that Hezekiah ushers them about as a peacock displaying its finest fan of tail feathers. He shows them Solomon’s treasures. He shows them the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil and the armory and all that is in his storehouses. Hezekiah showed them his precious things. And we’re not told once in the pages of scripture that he told his esteemed visitors about His true precious treasure. The precious life giving and lifesaving love of Almighty God.
As visitors approach you in life today, what will be the precious items that you show them? If someone comes to your house what are the precious items on display? Is it furniture, décor, expensive cars or lavish jewelry? Is it fine clothes, a rare collection, or expensive artwork? What will be the precious thing that you first speak of?
I pray today that the Lord Jesus Christ is the most precious item in your life. I pray that His love, goodness, mercy and grace are ready to roll off of your tongue as your visitors arrive. That before they can even be ushered inside, you are gushing about the precious life that has been granted to you. You see, that precious gift of Salvation was not easy. It came at a tremendous cost. God parted with His only Son. He sent Him here to be mocked, beaten, tortured and hung on a Cross to die. Killed and forsaken by the very people that God sent Him here to save. But Jesus rose. Three days later He rose out of death and conquered the sin that we are all destined to die in…a death bed experience that can be reversed just as Hezekiah’s.
Yes, we all face a physical death, but we also face a death that can be far worse. You see, we also all face an eternity. And it can be an eternity in the presence of God, or one in complete and absolute separation from God. Your eternity depends on what you do with Jesus Christ, the most precious gift that has ever existed.
Today you can secure your eternity. Admit that your sin has made a barrier between you and God. That your bad actions has put distance between you and your maker, distance you can’t reduce. But Jesus can. Ask Jesus to do what He does, save you from your sin so that you can spend your eternity in Heaven. He is the way, the only way to Heaven.
Believe in the precious blood of Jesus and allow it to cleanse you from your sin. And as you do, allow it to also cleanse your heart and your mind. Allow it to be a constant reminder of what is truly precious in this life. The saving grace of Jesus Christ.
Tell the world today about what is precious in your life.
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