"Alone, alone, all, all alone, Alone on a wide wide sea!"
The Ancient Mariner
There comes a time in everyone's life when they are all alone, though they be surrounded by people who may love them and want to help them. David, a strong and healthy man, came to that point in his life while he was quite young,
when he cried out in dispair, "I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul." Psm.142:4. He had arrived at the place where, I believe, God wants us all to come to, when no man, woman, child doctor or lawyer can answer out deepest need for healing, peace, hope, faith, security or life itself. It is the Valley of Decision...."Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision." Joel 3:14. Everyone eventually comes to that lonely place where there is nowhere to turn and no one who can help us. But we must and will turn to someone or something which cannot help us ... or to our Creator God ... who can. Many who come to that crossroads of destiny turn to alcohol or anger or atheism or self pity or suicide, but those choices were not God's intent in letting us come to that dilemma... in the Valley of Decision. Actually, when many people are faced with great fear, hardship or suffering, they turn away from the Lord instead of to Him. "From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life." John 6:66-68. When that time of decision came, and Jesus asked His 12 Apostles if they too would "go away". Simon Peter answered for the others, "Lord, to whom shall we go?" He knew that there was no other person or place to turn to in great crisis, though he too later, turned briefly away from Jesus, when his faith was challenged. But he came back to His Lord when, like the prodigal son, he "came to himself" and turned back to his father.
Even Jesus came to that moment in life and was all alone on the cross of crisis and death, and His suffering flesh cried out "...My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Matt.27:46. That was not Christ, His Spirit crying out but the crucified body of flesh, Jesus, who was born of Mary, crying out. Later, Jesus totally yielded His dying body to death and His spirit totally into the hands of His Father, God. "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost." Luke 23:46. When Jesus' human body of flesh died, His Spirit, Christ, the Holy "ghost" left the fleshly body but resurrected it three days later.
I believe it is God's highest purpose for all of us that we come to the place, in this life, when we are all alone and there is no one who can help us and no other right and holy place to go but to our Lord, God, and that we give ourselves completely to Him whether in life or in death.... just me and God ... just you and God. "... Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death." Phil.1:20.
To what or whom will I turn when it is my turn to die? God knows, but I must not presumptuously predict how I will respond to death. But I do know how I should respond. I should say, with Jesus, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit". "It is finished".
