and say to her, "Is all well with you? Is all well with your husband? Is all well with the child?" And she answered, "All is well." "It Is Well" 2 Kings 4:26b

The death of a child is always a sad occasion.

That was certainly the feeling of some Paraguayan parents when their son was born 16 weeks prematurely.

Without response, hardly any respiratory reflexes, or a heartbeat, the doctors declared the infant "dead."

The parents received their son in a small box with his name scribbled on the outside. They took their child home in that box. It was the box that was to serve as his coffin.

Then, as one of the family members took the child out of his "casket" to prepare his body, the corpse did a most unusual thing: he cried.

Apparently, he cried very loudly and, along with crying, he began to move his arms and his legs.

And what was the reaction of the family? One said, "I got scared, we (all) got scared."
As I think about it, fear was probably the reaction of the religious leaders when they first heard the crucified Savior was alive.

Just as, probably, on Judgment Day, there will be a lot of unbelieving souls who will be surprised -- and scared -- to find out that Jesus, just as He promised, has raised them and would now judge them.

To minimize that fear and to make sure everyone's reaction to Judgment Day will be a happy one, Christians are committed to sharing the Savior's story of salvation. We want people to know Jesus' sacrifice and glorious resurrection over death changes everything.

It most certainly can take their cries of fear and transform them into shouts of everlasting gladness and joy for the Christ who has given His life so we might have life eternal.

And before we pray, you might want to know the baby is in a pre-natal unit and his condition was listed as "stable." As the woman with the dead child said to Elijah, "All is well." And, because of Jesus, it always will be.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, for Your victory that surprised the world and defeated humanity's archenemies, we give thanks. May we share Your story with a lost world so they may not be shocked or lost when You return again. In Your Name. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Psalms 45-47    1 Corinthians 10:19-33

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