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Prev | End I submit my own lost-ness and my own neediness to you and believe in your sovereignty and as it says in those last verses in Romans 11, we will never be your counsellor; we will never fully understand your ways but we go forward by faith… “Lord, you have spoken today loud and clear. You have spoken through this family. So many families when they lose a young child like this, bitterness, anger, confusion and depression comes rolling in but Lord we see your grace in the Thomas family. Not that they won’t experience some of these things but we believe ultimately they have that victory in you sovereign Lord Jesus. Although we greatly miss Sunil we know that he is in a far better place and what our whole ministry is about is to rescue the perishing and care for the dying. We thank you that you have saved Sunil and that he is with you for all eternity.” I cherish an email from Jonathan McRostie, an OM leader and a friend writing from his wheelchair to which he has been confined since a road accident on the mission field two decades ago. He wrote, “Recently I was at the funeral and memorial service of my own father in California. Obviously my circumstances are quite different than yours as my father was 98 and had completed a long life for the Lord; whereas your son Sunil was 17 and had a short life for the Lord. Nevertheless, the eternal life with the Lord is a great blessing for both of them! When going through some books that my father had left, I found a quotation underlined by him from the book "My Daily Meditation” by John Henry Jowett. Jowett was a British preacher in the 19th and 20th centuries. On page 81 of that book he was commenting on Revelation 22:1-6. Here is the quotation that my dad underlined in some of the last years of his life : ‘And yet I must die! Yes, but the old enemy shall be my friend. He will not be my master, but my servant. He shall just be the porter, to open the door into my Father’s house, into the home of unspeakable blessedness and glory. Death shall not hurt me.’” How I wish that Sunil had read these words. Christians do not look forward to death, but look beyond death to life eternal in the presence of the Lord. The Christian’s death is compared to sleep, sleeping yet alive. The Lord has come to help us to die. There is sufficient help through the teachings in God’s word. The example of the Lord, in His suffering death and resurrection is a big help. No one is more prepared to die than the ones who love Him. Sunil’s last words were, “I love you, Jesus”. He told his mother a week before his death that he was not afraid to die, because he was going to Jesus. In spite of my failure to prepare him to die, the Lord had prepared him. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I fear no evil, for He is with me. I have heard it said that, “God gives dying grace to the dying man”. We are not alone in helping our loved ones to walk through that dark valley, but we have a role. It is not easy but it is not impossible. Several said at the service for Sunil that ‘It’s our wish, when it’s our time to go, we could go in the same spirit that Sunil did.’ On the front cover of the order of service were the words of our Lord Jesus, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish. Do you believe this?” What a hope! And what a help! I was concerned for months how my wife and daughter take Sunil’s home going. I was relieved to hear my wife pray, “Thank you for giving Sunil to us. Thank you for taking care of him. Thank you so much for the love he has received from so many and we thank you Lord that he is safe with you and that you have taken responsibility of him. I just want to thank you for today. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.” She had found help to accept the Lord’s decision. My daughter told me that “soon after Sunil had passed away I looked down saw his body and I felt someone saying, ‘Sunil is not here, He is alive’ ”. The Lord has helped her too. Thank you Lord Jesus for helping us all to face death. [This article is for the glory of God and dedicated to Sunil Thomas, 8 June1985 - March 2003 Chacko Thomas, 39 Honor Oak Rd, Forest Hill, London SE23 3SH, England, U.K Prev | End |
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