Theology & Life

“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” (Psalm‬ ‭139:16‬)

Death is a horrific, awful, tragic thing. We all deal with death since it’s simply a part of life, unfortunately. Some experience a lot of death, and others don’t. Either way, it’s one of the most difficult things a person can go through.

Further, what makes dealing with death even more dreadful is when it happens to someone who is young. I’m sure we can all name someone we knew who died in his or her younger years. One comes to mind for me. I had a high school classmate tragically pass away in a motorcycle accident my senior year. He was a mere 18 years old.

And with him—just like everybody else that dies young—the first thought is, “God took him too soon.” 

Is that true, though? Does God, the giver of life and death, take people from this earth too soon? Part of me thinks there’s an unfortunate assumption behind the question for some who say it. That assumption is that God is not truly in control of life and death.

When people say the person who died was taken too soon, I understand it. From an earthly, human perspective, yes—that person had so much more life to live. Time with family, with friends, with co-workers, etc. So, I get it.

But it’s still off base. When we think of this it shouldn’t be from our perspective, but God’s. And if we read our Bibles, we will know that God appoints a day for every person to die. 

God has the date of every person’s death in his calendar, and there is nothing that anyone can do to have this divinely made appointment cancelled or postponed.

https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/how-now-shall-we-die

Before our life began, God had already planned our whole life—from our birth to our death. When my high school classmate passed away—or when my former co-worker passed away from Covid in 2020–they didn’t “go too soon.” Both of them died the day God prepared for them to die. 

That can be hard for some to swallow, but it comes down to a trust in the sovereignty of God. Do you believe God is in control of life and death? Then we must understand God doesn’t take anyone away too soon. Every person on earth lives the exact amount of days God appointed them to live—not one second more or less. 

You may ask, “Why?” That’s a fine question to ask God because we don’t understand. We will never truly understand why God takes people so soon. But if we trust in God, that trust is all we need. We must remember we are finite and God is infinite. He is holy, we are not. He is transcendent, we are not. 

May we not be so arrogant in our confusion as to accuse God of injustice for taking a loved one “too soon.” Remember, God is not only the giver of life but also the taker. As God, he has that right. Perhaps we are confused, upset, and heartbroken—but we should still trust God.

Friend, are you suffering the loss of a loved one gone so soon? I pray you collapse in the arms of Jesus. Go to him; run to him. He wants your heart, your affection, your everything.