LifeLink Devotions

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

If you were to go to New York City and take a walk up Fifth Avenue, you would discover, if you were looking for it, a stark contrast between man’s view of government and God’s view. First,  stop in at the RCA/GE building.  Inside there is a statue of Charles Atlas.  He is straining every muscle as he carries the world upon his shoulders.  That’s one philosophy by which we can live.  In contrast, if you walk across the street and go into St. Patrick’s Cathedral there is another statue.  This statue is of Jesus when He was boy, maybe eight or nine years old,  and He’s holding the world in His hands, showing no effort whatsoever. That’s the other way you and I can choose to live. Both statues answer the question of “Who’s in charge of our lives?”

Isaiah 9: 6-7 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders…Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.” 

Isaiah’s prophecy specifically applies to the day that Jesus returns as King of Israel and reigns on David’s throne forever and ever. But for us in the Christian era after the resurrection of Christ, it applies to His reign on the throne of our lives. Who is really on your throne?

A.W. Tozer has a good insight into the condition of our hearts and the church today when it comes to the reign of Jesus. He says we are living much like the people of England. He says,  “The present position of Christ in the gospel churches may be likened to that of a king or queen in a limited constitutional monarchy. The monarch (sometimes depersonalized by the term “the Crown”) is in such a country no more than a traditional rallying point, a pleasant symbol of unity and loyalty much like a flag or a national anthem. He is lauded, feted, and supported, but his real authority is small. Nominally he is head over all, but in every crisis someone else makes the decisions. On formal occasions he appears in his royal attire to deliver the tame, colorless speech put into his mouth by the real rulers of the country. The whole thing may be no more than good-natured make-believe, but it is rooted in antiquity, it is a lot of fun, and no one wants to give it up.”

What a sad but true analogy of our lives and our churches. We say and sing “He is Lord”, yet we rule our own lives. We work out every day to strengthen the muscles of our minds, emotions, and wills so we can better carry the world on our shoulders. So much of what we do each day is done to become better equipped to handle tomorrow. What fools we are to work so hard for what is not guaranteed. What fools we are to believe in our pride that we carry anything. We call Jesus Lord, but we refuse to let Him reign. We’ve given Him some safe areas of our lives but reserve the right to rule over the important ones.

We believe we can better determine outcomes for ourselves, so we relegate Jesus to a position of non-binding counselor, when He could be our Wonderful Counselor.

We’re convinced that our knowledge and wisdom is sufficient to handle our problems, and our inner strength will carry us through, so while we acknowledge He is God, we deny He is Mighty God.

We know in our heads that life is terminal, but in our hearts we live as if there is an endless supply of tomorrows, and we must provide for them. In doing so we become the sustainer of our lives rather than surrendering to the loving care and provision of our Eternal Father.

We expend excruciating amounts of energy to produce comfort and contentment on the outside, hoping it will bring us peace on the inside, so everything is viewed as the price of peace when Jesus could be our Prince of Peace.

When Jesus was exalted by God to the throne of heaven, it was not under a limited constitutional monarchy. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He reigns supreme! We sing, “He is exalted! The King is exalted on High. I will praise Him!” But praising Him is not enough. Submit to Him! Serve Him! Surrender the throne of your life to the One who alone is qualified to reign. Stop wearing yourself out carrying the world on your shoulders. He’s got the whole world in His hands. Let Him carry you!

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions

Monday, December 11, 2023

Isaiah 9: 6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…”

She was five. Her name was Sharon. She was sure of the facts and recited them slowly, convinced every word was revelation. She said they were so poor they had only peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to eat, and they went a long way from home without getting lost. The lady rode a donkey, the man walked, and the baby was inside the lady. They had to stay in a stable with an ox and an ass (hee-hee) but the Three Rich Men found them because a star lighted the roof. Shepherds came and you could pet the sheep but not feed them. Then the baby was born. And do you know who he was? Her quarter-sized eyes inflated to silver dollars. The baby was God. And she jumped in the air, whirled round, dove into the sofa and buried her head under the cushion – which is the only proper response to the Good News of the Incarnation.

“To us a child is born, to us a son is given.” God the Son was given by God the Father. Directly from heaven. Into the darkness of sin’s dungeon came the Light. C.S. Lewis puts it this way. “One may think of a diver first reducing himself to nakedness, then glancing in mid-air, he’s gone with a splash, vanished, rushing down through green and warm water into black and cold water, down through the increasing pressure into the deathlike region of ooze and slime and old decay, and then back up again, back to color and light, his lungs almost bursting until suddenly he breaks the surface again, holding in his hand the dripping, precious thing he went down to recover. That dripping, precious thing is you.” 

But for that rescue of the precious to take place, the giving of the Son had to involve more than just His birth. True gifts come with no strings attached. True givers release the gift for the total benefit of the receiver. Imagine opening the gift of a lifetime on Christmas morning, only to hear the giver say, “I gave you this because I need one too. I reserve the right to use it whenever I want and for whatever purpose I choose.” The value of the gift has been destroyed. Not only did God give the Perfect Gift, but He gave it perfectly. God did not need what He gave. He was what He gave. And He gave His Gift knowing that He would completely release Him for our benefit.

Jesus speaks of this completed act of giving in John 3, when He says, “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

It was on the cross where Jesus was lifted up that God fully released His gift. In a moment of excruciating agony Jesus cries out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” At that moment God’s love for the world was fulfilled in the giving of His Son. It is in that context that Jesus continues in John 3:16 by saying, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

To us a Child is born at Christmas. To us a Son is given at the crucifixion. The story of the greatest gift ever given is not finished until the gift is fully given. The light of the star that shines on the manger should also create the shadow of the cross.

As you ponder the love it took for God to give such a Gift – praise Him! As you consider the cost of such a Gift – praise Him! Let the tears flow as you feel the human emotions of giving such a Gift – and praise Him! It is for you that He gave.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions

Friday, December 8, 2023

Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned…For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.”

This may be the most well-known prophecy of Jesus that we find in the Old Testament. It is rich with meaning. It describes in concise fashion who the Messiah would be and what He would accomplish. It is far too important to summarize in one day. We will be richly blessed if we take the time to study it carefully.

At the age of 30, Jesus came to John the Baptist in the wilderness and was publicly identified as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” The angel Gabriel had declared 31 years earlier that John would be the one called to prepare the hearts of the people to receive the forgiveness of sin that would be provided by Jesus. Eight days after the birth of his son John, Zechariah spoke these words – “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” In a prophetic utterance from the Holy Spirit Zechariah affirmed that the baby boy still in the womb of His mother Mary would be the great light – the rising sun from heaven – and would shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death.

The time had now come for Jesus to be revealed to the world as the Messiah. Jesus came first to those whose hearts had been brought to repentance of sin by the preaching of John. Even though He had no sin, He identified with those who did by asking John to baptize Him. Jesus made a public statement that He was going public with His ministry. His baptism was not for the forgiveness of sin – He had none. His baptism was not to initiate relationship with God – He was God. His baptism was the starting point of fulfilling all righteousness. It was His public commitment of obedience to God’s will for His life, as it is to be ours.

Immediately after His baptism, Jesus went up into the wilderness to be alone with His Father. His commitment would be severely tested for 40 days. After passing the test by resisting all attempts of the Enemy to shift His focus away from obedience to God and onto satisfying the desires of the flesh, Jesus moved from Nazareth to Capernaum. This city was by the Sea of Galilee in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, the land described by the prophet Isaiah as the land of darkness (Isaiah 9:1). In the first Gospel of the New Testament Matthew writes that Jesus moved there specifically to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy. “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” (Matt. 4:15-16) Jesus is declaring that He is the great light that will shine on those living in this land of darkness.

We live in a land of darkness today. Maybe some of you are experiencing that darkness in some aspect of your life right now. Sin has darkened your eyes to the light of God. But unto you a child has been born. Unto you a son has been given. Jesus has intentionally invaded your darkness. He did not come to bring light where it is already light. He came to specifically invade the darkness. If He had come first to where it was already light, they would not have noticed. But when the light shines in the darkness, it is obvious. Maybe the reason you can’t see the light of God right now is because you’ve convinced yourself that your situation is already light. You’ve been convinced by the Enemy that your current choices and circumstances that satisfy the desires of your flesh are as light as it gets. You can’t see Jesus because you won’t admit darkness. Once you do, you will discover something incredible – Jesus has been there all along. He came specifically and personally into your darkness so that His true light could shine on you.

From the moment of His arrival in Capernaum, Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” That’s what He wants you to hear today – “Repent.” Admit the darkness and turn from it. When you do, you will see the Light.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Isaiah 2:1-5 “This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: In the last days the mountain of the LORD’S temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD.”

When Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem, angels appeared to the shepherds and proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” The Prince of Peace had arrived. However, the people to whom he came misinterpreted his call to peace, demanding political and social peace now. But the peace that Jesus came to introduce was far more significant. He came to bring peace with God.

When Jesus talked about peace during His ministry on the earth, it was in a spiritual context. Nowhere does Jesus promise political or social peace without first finding spiritual peace with God. In fact, when speaking directly to His disciples Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Then just moments later He adds, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” It was the mission of Jesus to bring us to peace with the Father so that we could be at peace in our hearts while around us the world is at war.

The world today clamors for peace. People believe peace is achievable by their own efforts and resolve. The pursuit of peace becomes the justification for the elimination of enemies. Peace becomes the campaign slogan of political candidates. But Jesus said that without His peace there can be no other peace. The prophet Isaiah knew this truth when he wrote, “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” Peace of mind through peace with God was the message of Jesus, not peace on earth. Jesus spoke to that specifically when He said, “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.” What will be the cause of that division? The conflict between the pursuit of peace with man and the attainment of peace with God. And that conflict will continue until Jesus returns and sets the record straight.

The day is coming when Jesus will return and bring peace to the world. That peace will be made possible by the imprisonment of Satan. Sin will be abolished from the earth, and the King will reign in glory from the restored temple on the mountain of the LORD. Jesus will judge between the nations and settle the disputes of people based on His law, not man’s. Then, and only then, will they “beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” Jesus will bring peace to the world.

Until then, we as His followers are to be peacemakers according to the plan of Jesus. His plan is for us to bring people to Him for peace. Our pursuit of peace on earth is only valid if it is founded on bringing the people of earth to peace with God. Peace will be accomplished in no other way. So come, let us go up to the mountain of our LORD, where He will teach us His ways so we may walk in His paths – the paths of peace.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Deuteronomy 18:15 – 16 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the LORD your God…”

When the Israelites escaped from Egypt under the leadership of Moses, they experienced for the first time in their lives the physical presence of Almighty God. They heard His voice from the mountain where Moses met with Him, and they saw His holiness and His power in the fire that encompassed the mountain. They were suddenly aware of their vulnerability. They realized that their sin could not stand in the presence of God, and God was present. Knowing their precarious position and desiring to live, they asked if God would remove Himself from their presence. How do you think God responded? At first, I focused on the selfishness of the people, and thought God should respond by punishing them. But look at what God did. “The LORD said to Moses: “What they say is good.”

Why would God call good someone’s request to not have Him present? I can think of only one logical reason – it’s because God saw that the people were asking for the right reason. They were not asking because they valued their lives more than God. They were asking because they had become aware of the true nature of God and had realized the true nature of their own lives. In essence they were saying this – “We are sinners, and we cannot stand in the Holy Presence of God. We are deserving of death. We want to know you, God, but we can’t know you this way. Is there another option?” The people were begging for a touchable God.

God responds with another option. He says, “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.” Up until this time Moses had been the mouthpiece of God, speaking His truth with His authority. But in this great prophetic promise of Jesus, God tells the people that one day there would be another prophet who would come and speak all the truth of God so that we could know Him and have a personal and intimate relationship with Him. That promise is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, God’s final prophet. The author of Hebrews puts is this way – “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” 

None of us is worthy to approach God. None of us is able from our own merit to communicate with God. We are all insecure humans, incapable of having personal contact with the Hero of Heaven. But God wants to have contact with us. So, He provided a Prophet to us who is His exact representation but in touchable form. Through Him we have a personal and intimate relationship with Almighty God. In Jesus God became touchable.

A touchable God. It’s not only what we want, but it is what we need. This Christmas, and every day before and after, praise the God who became touchable.

If you have the time, here’s my favorite story to illustrate this truth. I’m sure you’ve heard it many times before, but it’s simple message never grows old, and it fits this prophecy of Christ perfectly. It is Paul Harvey’s story of the man and the birds.

Unable to trace its proper parentage, I have designated this as my Christmas Story of the Man and the Birds. You know, THE Christmas Story, the God born a man in a manger and all that escapes some moderns, mostly, I think, because they seek complex answers to their questions and this one is so utterly simple. So for the cynics and the skeptics and the unconvinced I submit a modern parable.

Now the man to whom I’m going to introduce you was not a scrooge, he was a kind, decent, mostly good man. Generous to his family, upright in his dealings with other men. But he just didn’t believe all that incarnation stuff which the churches proclaim at Christmas Time. It just didn’t make sense and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. He just couldn’t swallow the Jesus Story, about God coming to Earth as a man. “I’m truly sorry to distress you,” he told his wife, “but I’m not going with you to church this Christmas Eve.” He said he’d feel like a hypocrite. That he’d much rather just stay at home, but that he would wait up for them. And so he stayed and they went to the midnight service.

Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier and then went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper. Minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound. Then another, and then another. Sort of a thump or a thud. At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window. But when he went to the front door to investigate he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They’d been caught in the storm and, in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large landscape window.

Well, he couldn’t let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm shelter, if he could direct the birds to it. Quickly he put on a coat, galoshes, tramped through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the doors wide and turned on a light, but the birds did not come in. He figured food would entice them in. So he hurried back to the house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow, making a trail to the yellow-lighted wide open doorway of the stable. But to his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs, and continued to flap around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them. He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them waving his arms. Instead, they scattered in every direction, except into the warm, lighted barn.

And then, he realized, that they were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I could think of some way to let them know that they can trust me. That I am not trying to hurt them, but to help them. But how? Because any move he made tended to frighten them, confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led or shooed because they feared him. “If only I could be a bird,” he thought to himself, “and mingle with them and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to safe, warm …to the safe warm barn. But I would have to be one of them so they could see, and hear and understand.”

At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. And he stood there listening to the bells – Adeste Fidelis – listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. And he sank to his knees in the snow.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions

Friday, December 1, 2023

Here we are in the most wonderful time of the year. In Wisconsin we look forward to a fresh white blanket of snow to turn our land into a winter wonderland. Our Christmas tree is fully decorated along with all the other rooms of our house. The lights are up on the outside of the house, and the star pointing the way to the manger is fully lit.

From the world’s perspective there are many reasons that this is the most wonderful time of the year. Andy Williams sang a song about it. In it he referred to kids jingle belling, holiday greetings, happy meetings, friends coming to call, parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting, caroling out in the snow, and much mistletoeing. That’s a list that can make for the hap-happiest season of all. But one thing – the main thing –that  makes Christmas the most wonderful time of the year is blatantly missing from the song. There is no reference to the reason for the season. At one point of the song there is a perfect opportunity to refer to it when he sings about the tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago. But nothing about Jesus is said. The world is wrapped up in the wonder of the season but has forgotten why they celebrate.

We may be guilty of that as well. I know I am. Years ago, when I went to get our freshly cut Christmas tree, I had an opportunity to talk to the man I from whom I bought it. At the end of our conversation, I shook his hand as he wished me a merry Christmas. I thanked him, wished him the same, and then said, “Don’t forget to remember the real reason for the season.” He smiled but did not respond. I tied the tree to the top of the Jeep, brought it home, cut off the bottom 3 inches, trimmed the branches, put it in its stand, and carried it into the house. I turned it so the best side was showing, and then watered it to keep it fresh. Not once from the time I left the tree lot until I got the tree up in the house did I stop to think about the reason I was getting the tree, or what the tree represents. At every point of that process I had an opportunity to worship Jesus. As I placed the tree on top of the car I could have thought about the trees that were cut to make the cross upon which my Savior died. As my hands grabbed the branches of prickly needles I could have thought about the thorns that pierced the brow of my Lord. As I placed the tree in the stand I could have praised the Lord for being willing to be raised up on a cross to take a stand against sin. As I watered the evergreen to keep it fresh I could have thought about the everlasting life that is in me because of what Jesus did, watered by the Holy Spirit to keep it fresh and vital. It’s become too easy to enjoy the wonder of the season without worshipping the reason for the season.

When God created Adam and Eve and put them in the Garden of Eden, there was one tree that was off limits. But they allowed Satan to influence their desires with deception and they ate from that tree anyway. When God found them in their sin, He dealt with the Deceiver first and made him a promise – someday an offspring of the woman (not the man) would crush his head. It is the first prophecy of Christ in Scripture.

Genesis 3:15  “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

From the moment of man’s sin God initiated a plan to rescue people from the consequences of their sin. From woman, the first to sin, would come redemption. It was the fruit of a tree that led to sin, and it would be the fruit of another tree – the cross – that would lead to salvation. Through one sin death came upon all mankind, and through one death eternal life became available to all who are dying. Hallelujah! Jesus saves!

So as you go through this month, make an effort to retrain your brain so that every event and activity becomes an opportunity to worship Jesus. Don’t get so wrapped up in the worldly wonder of Christmas that you forget to worship the wonder of the Savior whose birth we celebrate. Jesus is the Reason for the season.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions

Thursday, November 30, 2023

One morning I talked to a friend who was having some problems with his house. He bought the house several years ago, but some issues were showing up. The latest was that when the house was moved to its current location and the addition put on, the rafters in the roof were not framed properly. The roof was collapsing. The living room ceiling was falling in. Thousands of dollars of repairs were needed because of a builder’s mistake made without their knowledge.

That stinks! Paying for repairs that weren’t our fault is painful. We rebel against it. We get really bummed about it. It ruins the whole day, or maybe even the whole weekend. Why should we have to pay for someone else’s mistake?

Suddenly I stopped. That sounds familiar. Someone else paid for my mistakes once. My house had also been moved from its original location by a counterfeit carpenter and additional space for self was added on. The construction of that space looked good on the outside, but it was not done according to the original Designers specifications. But I continued to live in it and embrace it as my own. It was collapsing all around me and I didn’t even see it.

Then I realized that someone else had already paid for the repairs. His payment would ultimately drive the counterfeit carpenter out of business. Until then all houses that he had remodeled were made available to the Benefactor for complete restoration if the owner would allow it. I chose to have my house restored.

The Benefactor replaced everything. The renovation began with a new Foundation, followed by the replacement of all the rotting parts with eternal ones that can never rust or rot. Every room I asked the Real Carpenter to restore was instantly invaded by His Co-Worker and completely transformed into a living space that reflected the nature and character of the Benefactor.

Isaiah 61:7 “Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs.”

It is a joy to live in such a house. There’s no more shame from living in a collapsing house, but complete joy in knowing that my house has been replaced with one of eternal value. I will rejoice and give thanks to the Benefactor who paid the price for my sin – a price He did not owe but graciously paid – by sending His own Carpenter to do all the work. My house has been replaced, and my hope has been firmly placed in the One who did it for me.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions

Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Drunk driver kills father of four. Family home and possessions destroyed by fire. Babysitter accused of rape. Financial markets crash. Four students die in car crash. Government overthrown: everyone taken captive.

Headlines from reality. Heartbreak is reality.

Grieving may be the most underestimated of the emotions. It may be the one we deny the most. Of course, we grieve a little when we read headlines like the ones above. We would have to have awfully cold hearts to not feel some compassion for the people affected by these tragedies. But grief hurts, so in most cases we skip right over it and move on to thinking about something else – something more positive and uplifting. We deny that anything hurts us because we don’t want to appear weak. We certainly don’t want the circumstance to affect us so deeply that it causes any long-term depression. So, we deny that it is there, and hope we never really have to deal with it.

There is a popular theory of grief, introduced by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her 1969 book entitled On Death and Dying that proposes five stages to the grieving process.

1. Denial – “Everything’s fine…I’ll be all right…This can’t be happening to me.”
2. Anger – “It’s not fair…Why is this happening to me…Who’s fault is this?”
3. Bargaining – “I’ll do anything to change this.”
4. Depression – “Why bother…What’s the point…Why go on?”
5. Acceptance – “It’s really going to be okay.”

This is the secular view of the grieving process, and for a long time we may have believed it is the only process available. That’s just not the case. You see, there is a stage prior to the denial stage that has been omitted from the DABDA model – it is the stage of mourning. It is the very first thing that happens in all of us, but for many it is the one they pass through quickly because it hurts the most. It is the stage of helplessness, and that is in direct contradiction to our humanistic thinking. We cannot be found helpless, so let’s skip that part and move into the self-help realm.

Yet it is in the stage of mourning that Jesus comes and offers healing. He offers the intimacy of His presence that ultimately moves us to restoration and skips all the in-between steps found in the human model. The crown of beauty is bestowed upon those who grieve, and gladness pours over the soul of the mourner. In the depths of despair the garment of praise is given.

Isaiah 61:3 “…and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

Look at the picture below. The crocus is growing out of the ashes of a fire. If the humanistic model is true, this could never happen. The bargaining stage would have removed the burned log, tilled up the soil, put in some landscaping rocks, and planted roses, only to realize that roses are too hard to grow and depression would have set in. Man’s efforts to heal grief don’t work.

But God can heal any grief. Jesus Christ mourned over the death of Lazarus, and with no denial, anger, bargaining, or depression he simply resurrected him from the grave. Don’t let the world get into your head. Let God heal your heart. He who can grow crocuses out of ashes can bring joy to you in the darkest of days.

Pastor John