Facing Anxiety about Death
Death is the great inevitability of life. Yet despite this certainty, many have some degree of fear or anxiety about death. In its most intense form, thanatophobia (the fear of death) can hinder you from fully living your life. Others may live with the fear hovering in the back of their mind, not always conscious of it. For some, fear may only come in certain situations. And sometimes it is not your own death that causes fear. The thought of loved ones dying is equally anxiety-inducing. People do all sorts of things to prevent death, from healthy diets and exercise to wearing seatbelts and going through surgery. But while death can be postponed it cannot be cancelled. Each person needs to come to terms with death. As a Christian, you have a completely other perspective on death, one informed by your faith and the Bible. The Bible is a book that often deals with death from one generation to the next until the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That resurrection gives hope for after death. Yet in death, there is also hope. What does the Bible say regarding anxiety about death? My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen on me. Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me. – Psalm 55:4-5, NIV David, the writer of many Psalms, had much reason to experience anxiety about death. He spent many days running from men who wanted him dead. He experienced loss, physical suffering, and exhaustion. Yet he knew who truly had his life in His hand. Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death. – Psalm 68:20, NIV While David may have been afraid of men who wanted to see him dead, he trusted that God [...]
