Surgical Spirit: God’s not dead!

‘I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.’ Revelation 1:18

All churches have rotas. At mine, the person doing the Sunday morning children’s talk sends a message to the pianist telling them what the children will be singing that week. It was my turn to play the piano when a strange email came through from a friend. It said: There’s a note on my desk which says….“Email Ruth and tell her God’s not dead”.

Sticklers for grammar will know that a couple of quotation marks would have made all the difference: ‘God’s not dead’ is a popular choice for the children’s song. But that email was salutary. How often I have ignored God and gone from day to day, eating, drinking, working, sleeping, with barely a nod in his direction? It is easy to live as though God did not exist, giving mental assent to the doctrines of grace but exercising a sort of practical atheism.

There is a story about Martin Luther along these lines. He was once so miserable (persecuted by the authorities, dismayed at bickering amongst fellow reformers, in terrible pain from kidney stones) that his wife, Kate, dressed herself and the children all in black. ‘Who has died?’ cried the great reformer. ‘God has died,’ replied Kate, ‘for my husband would not be in such a state of mind if his God were alive!’

Years ago I was on the ‘crash team’ at a big hospital. I felt terrible that, despite our best efforts, so many patients died. An older Christian helped. He said, ‘You are taking too much upon yourself! God decides when we are born and when we die. Don’t emphasise human responsibility and ignore divine sovereignty!’

If Luther needed to have the Latin word ‘vivit’ (he lives) prominently displayed – some say on his study wall, some say etched into his desk – how much more do we need a daily reminder?

To memorise:

I know that my Redeemer lives: what joy the blest assurance gives!
He lives, He lives, who once was dead; He lives, my everlasting Head.
He lives, triumphant from the grave: He lives eternally to save:
He lives all glorious in the sky: He lives exalted there on high. (Samuel Medley 1738-99)

 

Ruth Eardley is a GP and member of Affinity partner Little Hill Church, Leicester. She writes a regular piece for her church entitled ‘Surgical Spirit’. We have been given permission to reproduce some of them. This is her latest contribution.