Not afraid, not in need

When the bombs hit London 2 years ago on the 7th of July, 2005, this site began a campaign for as many people as possible to tell those who would try to kill and maim that they were not afraid. At the time I joined in, but as my old blog from those days has been and gone, I don’t have the picture I used at the time.

Tonight I did our Alpha Course talk on “Does God Heal Today”. The answer was, of course, an emphatic “yes” but I spoke about the real healing that God wants to do beyond broken legs and tumoured torsos, the healing of broken, emotionally scarred human beings, out of synch with who God intended them to be because they grew up in a twisted, fallen world. I of course today am the result of that healing, of a God who took a damaged, sinful, destroyed human being and piece by piece lovingly brought fusion where there was confusion, wholeness where there was emptiness.

My wife and I were talking a few nights ago about dying. We agreed that while we were scared about the manner of our death, we were genuinely not frightened of death. The reason why I’m not frightened of death is because on this side of the grave I have glimpsed the life beyond, because I have let God shine that life beyond into my life here. Today I realise that my life is amazing. I have so much, not just a fantastic wife and a warm home and wonderful friends and colleagues but beyond that a deep satisfaction that my life is well. So many people in the world have so little and live in so much suffering. I do not.

So tonight I want to tell you, once again, I am not afraid. But as well as not being afraid I am also not in need. And how about you? Have the events of the past few days made you realise how much you actually have? Are you afraid of death? Are you really in need?

Tonight I feel like the picture below and the song below it. I am not afraid. I am not in need. I have Jesus and therefore I have everything. What about you?