ALL IS WELL
In March of 1912, three members of Robert Scott’s Antarctic expedition sat huddled in an ice hut, awaiting death. The frigid environment had claimed the lives of all the other members of their party. On what was probably the final day of his life, Dr. Edward Wilson, wrote these words to his wife, “Don’t be unhappy… All is well… We will all meet after death, and death has no terrors… All the things I had hoped to do with you after this Expedition are as nothing now, but there are greater things for us in the world to come… All is well.”
What would cause a man to pen the words, “all is well,” as he literally sat freezing to death? He clung to an undeniable confidence that death would open the door to an unending new life.
In contrast, Bertrand Russell, perhaps the leading atheist of the twentieth century, in Free Man’s Worship, wrote that the foundation of life itself is built upon “unyielding despair.” Reportedly, at the age of 81, in a BBC interview, when asked what he was hanging onto in the face of death, responded, “I have nothing to hang onto but grim, unyielding despair.”
First Thessalonians 4:13 contains this haunting phrase, “We don’t want you to grieve like other people who have no hope” (GW). Imagine a life without hope— a life without Jesus. As we endure the struggles of this world, the best we hope to anticipate is eternal nothingness… grim, unyielding despair. It’s too horrible to imagine.
Jesus promises his followers, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die” (John 11:25-26, NLT). Like Dr. Edward Wilson, we can cling to that promise, understanding that in death we say “goodbye” to the land of the dying, and enter the land of the living.
More than ever, we need to immerse our hearts in hope, rather than caving into the negativity surrounding us. Focusing on this world, our lives automatically fill with despair. But hope in Jesus enables us to rise above our circumstances, as we soar on a higher level. We can embrace his peace. We can embrace his joy. We can embrace his hope. So that even in the worst of circumstances, we can say, “All…is…well.”
Principle: Hope in Jesus enables us to say, “All is well.”
Promise: “Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never die.”
Ponder:
What specific aspects of this world pull my attention away from focusing on Jesus and the hope he offers?
How can I begin to change this today?
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study John 11.
Prayer: “Lord Jesus, thank you for the hope you offer, even in the midst of life’s worst circumstances. I open my heart to you today to receive your offer of life and hope.”
Perceptions: Record any ideas God puts on your heart from today’s devotional.