23 Mar

Gravity

posted by Andrew Hebert

Have you ever had a circumstance that has just totally brought you down to the harsh reality of life? It feels like gravity is just crushing in on you and your world is falling apart – maybe when you lose your job or receive a phone call and find out a friend has committed suicide. Somehow life will never be the same and you are stuck dealing with the tragic realities of life on earth.

I have some friends who have experienced exactly that this week. Hannah and Winston played in a jazz band with me for most of my high school career. They were great friends who were really there for me in some crucial moments of my life. I found out that they were home from college for spring break and were driving with their parents and younger sister to a concert when they were hit by a drunk driver. Their dad was killed instantly upon impact. He was a pastor in my hometown. Their mom is in critical condition and is not expected to live. Hannah and Winston are both in the hospital and are recovering from several surgeries done because of internal bleeding. Their younger sister had several broken bones and is now out of the hospital. The drunk driver walked away from the accident uninjured. This family is in desperate need of prayer. On top of the physical difficulties associated with the wreck, I can only imagine the emotional distress that must be accompanying this accident. Feelings of mourning for their father, anger towards the drunk driver, worry for their mother, anxiety concerning their own recovery – gravity is crushing.

As a friend, what can I say to this family that has experienced such a loss this week? How can there be any hope for them? I’ve thought about this question for the last few days and have really had a difficult time coming up with anything that would be meaningful to this family right now. The only answer I’ve been able to come to is that there is no hope outside of Jesus.

I was reading in Hebrews 2 and God really showed me some awesome things about His Son. The Bible says that Jesus, because He died and rose from the grave, conquered the one who had the power of death – the devil – and can now free the ones who have fear of death – us. That passage says that Jesus is the author of our salvation. I found that the word used for author is the Greek word archegos. The interesting thing about this word is that in classical literature this is the word used to describe Hercules, the mighty champion of war. So what you have in Hebrews 2 is that Jesus was horribly crucified on a cross for our sins. But we celebrate Easter this week because the story did not end there. Three days after His death, Jesus came back to life! Death could not hold him – He came out the other side of death and in doing so snatched the throat out of the devil relieving him of his power over death. This then frees us who have been in slavery to the fear of death all of our lives. Jesus then is the reigning champion over all things, including death, and rules as the archegos from His throne forever and ever. His children are freed from fear because we will follow Him out the other side of death and be victorious over death because of His resurrection.

That’s hope! If I could give any comfort to Hannah and Winston, it would be this: even though this is a tragedy, take hope because Jesus conquered death and your dad is now with Jesus. You don’t have to live in fear. Jesus is the champion.

Filed in: Crisis, Cross, Trust

About the Author

Andrew Hebert is a student at Criswell College. He enjoys reading, eating Mexican food, watching the Houston Astros, and listening to any kind of music. He and his wife, Amy, reside in Dallas and are expecting their first child in June.