Near Death Experience
I think my greatest prayer was not that I wouldn't die but that if I died I would not have the Spice Girls stuck in my head for the rest of eternity!
Revelation 6:1-17
Reference: v.8a I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. (NIV Bible)
Explore: I've only really had one near death experience that I can think of. I was flying in to Melbourne from Perth and as we were about to land we hit some turbulance. I can remember exactly where I was sitting – centre seat of the centre aisle at the front of the economy class section – and they had a Spice Girls song playing over the speaker system. I think my greatest prayer was not that I wouldn't die but that if I died I would not have the Spice Girls stuck in my head for the rest of eternity!
Application: Everyone views death in a different way. Depending on our religion, health, occupation and life expectancy we can have varying views on how we should think and feel about death. As I was reading through Revelation chapter 6 I noticed that in John's vision Death had a pale horse. This surprised me. In all our movies Death is always the darkest and most sinister of all and yet here he has the pale horse? I guess death viewed from the perspective of Heaven brings on a whole different meaning. While it can bring pain and suffering it's not the final blow. I must admit that as I sit here in my early thirties I think a lot more about life than death, but it's an inevitable that is worth pondering now and again. Do we perceive death as this suffocating power that will eventually win over us all in the end? Or do we need to put death in perspective and see that it is the final part of this life on earth but not the final blow?
Prayer: Lord, there is so much about life and death that we do not understand. May we have the faith in You to trust You, no matter what our life expectancy may be. Amen.
What thoughts come to mind for you when you think of death?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.