The Real Inconvenient Truth

Last night I (Bruce) got a phone call just after dinner time from a colleague here at African Bible College.  He told me that the 4 month old daughter of a pastor we both knew had died earlier that day.  His question for me (as one of the campus chaplains) was about whether or not they could use the campus chapel for a funeral service. I said "sure - no problem" and made a few more phone calls to get things in order.  I said a prayer for the family before going to sleep but when morning came (I hate to write this) I pretty much forgot about it.  I was responsible for overseeing chapel the following morning plus I had a 2 hour class I needed to do a lot of prep work for.

This morning, as I was up to my chin in books, articles, Powerpoint slides, and answering the hourly knocks on the door that are just part of life here - I looked out my window and saw people gathering at the chapel.  At that moment I remembered what was going on and I stopped what I was doing to go and see if everything was alright for a service to begin.  As I got there I saw a pick-up truck parked on the lawn just feet away from the chapel door and a group of about 60 people standing around.  I looked to one side and saw Kondwani (the father) standing there in jeans and a dress shirt.  He was staring at the truck along with everyone else as 4 men picked up a simple, brown casket, maybe 3 feet long, from the back of the truck and walked inside.

Once the casket was carried inside I approached Kondwani and said the only words that came to my mind............ "Kondwani, I want you to know that I'm praying for you."   Then I walked in with him and stood at the back while everyone sang "It Is Well With My Soul".  If you're not familiar with the song - let me just say that it's not a song that is particularly easy to sing as you stare at a wooden box holding the lifeless body of a 4-month old. 

I couldn't stay because I had a class to teach so I wiped away the tears and headed for my class.  During the opening of class I had pre-planned a short devotion on John 15:1 and a time for listening to a song called "Made Me Glad" which is a song that describes the attributes of God.  The end of the chorus says, "My Shelter, Strong Tower, my Ever Present Help in time of need." 

As I sat there listening to the song, with the funeral still in progress about 150 yards away, I thought about how amazing this attribute of God is.  So often I'm clueless, careless, and going about 80 miles an hour (which is 128 kilometers an hour here) - and yet God remains a "TOWER" and "EVER PRESENT".  I was also reminded of the fact that death is the real "inconvenient truth" in life (apologies to Al Gore).  It devastates us, interrupts out plans, throws our lives into chaos, and treats our emotions like a pinata - but it's the truth about life.  We live in a broken world where death is a reality - but now, because of Jesus, death is the one that is truly broken.  It no longer holds the final world.  It's a defeated enemy.  And I'm glad. 

The last verse of  "It is Well With My Soul" says, "And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight.....".   The next lines talk about trumpets sounding and the Lord descending to come get us - but in reality, most of us experience our "faith as sight" on the other side of our last breath here.  Should we pray: "Lord, haste the day...."??????  Couldn't that be considered a little morbid?  Isn't that a bit of a cop out?  Well, maybe a little bit.  Not that we should walk around ignoring the brokenness of the world around us as we wait to die.  And it's not that we don't find great joy in our families and loved ones.  It's more about saying, "Lord, please hurry - this place is brutal!"

Watching a Dad say goodbye to his 4 month old little girl. Having your insides ripped up alongside loved ones who lost their son in war.  Knowing that today, somewhere on this continent, somebody's child has died every minute from malaria (which is preventable).  Yeah - "Lord, haste the day!!!"