One early morning a few days ago, I was standing for a few minutes in the chilly night air before leaving for our rotation to be with Dear Husband’s dying dad. I was awestruck by the glittering stars in the black sky. ( A perk of living in the country.) The complexity and order of their arrangements couldn’t be ignored. Then it struck me. Surely the God who conceived the plan for all those billions of stars to travel in their appointed courses had a plan for the homegoing of one old man among the billions of people who have lived and died on this small planet. God’s great wisdom and power displayed above me gave me confidence to face another day of sitting beside my father-in-law’s deathbed.
“Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons? . . . Do you know the laws of the Heavens?” God speaking to Job in Job 38:32,33
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities- his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.” Romans 1:20

But another early morning, as I eagerly went out to look for the reassurance of the majestic stars, there wasn’t one to be seen! The clouds had blown in, obscuring the beauty of the stars. I was disappointed. I wanted proof that God was still in charge because it wasn’t feeling like it. Dad was lingering in a no-man’s-land of confusion and agitation. Why didn’t the Lord just take him home to Heaven instead of this misery day after day and week after week? Then a favorite passage from the prophet Isaiah came to mind.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

Just because I couldn’t see the stars didn’t mean the stars weren’t there. It was just that my vantage point was clouded. I was reminded that my vision is often clouded by my circumstances. I’m tempted to forget that God is still God and his plan is good. What clouds in your life might obscure the fact that God is God and he is wise and powerful?

Since God is kind and is always pursuing us, he isn’t limited to encouraging me with just the stars. The very clouds that prevented me from seeing the stars came together to give me a precious glimpse of God’s glory and care. On my way home in the afternoon, I couldn’t help but notice a majestic ‘God light’ as photographer friends call it. In God’s mercy, there was a convenient place to pull over safely and take a snapshot of his glorious display that declared, “I’m still in charge and my plan is good.” The photo is below.  I know that the circumstances that threaten to obscure God’s power are also the very circumstances that can show us his power as he comforts us in our pain.  Are you allowing your painful circumstances to prove God’s power and care?

Two days ago, as I sat with dear Husband beside his dying dad, I thought of what my sister-in-law has been saying often. “God numbered his days. God knows when to take him home.” So I reread Psalm 139 for comfort.
“Your eyes saw my unformed body: all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16
God recorded our names and our lifespan before we were even conceived in the womb. There is a plan. We’re not random specks in a cold universe. Each of us is in God’s mind and heart. He has a good plan that we can cooperate with or chafe against. The day of Dad’s death was already determined by a loving God who knows infinitely more than I do.

Then I started thinking about God’s books. Moses knew that God has a Book of Life. This is the record of those who will enjoy eternal life with him. Moses pleaded with God to forgive the sin of the people. But if God was unwilling, Moses offered to be also condemned with them.
“So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold.  But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.”
The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.”
And the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.” Exodus 32:31-35

David also wrote about God’s book. He was counting not on his own good works to earn him a place in the Book of Life, but he was counting on God’s salvation.
“. . . do not let them [evil doers] share in your salvation.
May they be blotted out of the book of life
and not be listed with the righteous.
But as for me, afflicted and in pain—
may your salvation, God, protect me.” Psalm 69:27-29

In the last book of the New Testament, we are given more insight into the Book of Life.
“All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the creation of the world in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” Revelation 13:8

I wonder if those names are written in red. Perhaps written in the blood of God’s Lamb, willingly sacrificed for our forgiveness.
“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. . . Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:12,15

Our deeds, good and bad are recorded in God’s books. But even the best people who gave to others, who set aside time to attend services, who didn’t hurt others, won’t be exonerated if their name isn’t found in the other book – the Lamb’s Book of Life. And even the worst people who did terrible things but at last turned in humility to Jesus and begged for his forgiveness will be found written in the Book of Life. This is hard for us humans to grasp. But I trust that the God who put the stars in place and gives us signs in the sky has the right to judge as he knows is just. Is your name written in the Book of Life that belongs to Jesus, who paid for you to be with him, enjoying eternal life?

My dear father-in-law’s body died yesterday. But we rejoice that he instantly started enjoying eternal life. His trust was that his bad deeds were covered by Jesus’ blood. He said in a nearly lucid moment, “I’m waiting for my Lord to come and pat me on the hand.” He was confident that his Savior would receive him with loving gentleness.