Fear Not the Foe

By Holly Scheer

0 little flock, fear not the Foe
Who madly seeks your overthrow;
Dread not his rage and power.
What though your courage sometimes faints,
His seeming triumph o’er God’s saints
Lasts but a little hour.

Death is coming for us all. Unless the Second Coming arrives before the end of our days– we will all die. That little baby sleeping sweetly in your arms, your grandparent, your spouse, you, me– all of us. Death is coming closer daily.

But Death is not the end, sister. Death is an end, but it is the end of our suffering and separation from God. Death has been overcome by Jesus– and that’s the sweetest and best news that there is.

Amen, Lord Jesus, grant our prayer;
Great Captain, now Thine arm make bare,
Fight for us once again!
So shall Thy saints and martyrs raise
A mighty chorus to Thy praise,
World without end. Amen.

I would say that I do not fear Death, but that wouldn’t be true. Even knowing that Death is the beginning of life without ending, I worry. I worry about my children, my husband, my family.

My nightly prayer for us is, “Lord, let us be in faith, healthy, and safe. Amen.”

I don’t know what my earthly future holds, and that’s OK. Sometimes the not knowing is hard– but I know what really matters. Death is coming for me– and Jesus has paid the price for my sins and Heaven awaits.

Hymn stanzas from the Online Lutheran Hymnal. Photo Credit to Theophilos Papadopoulos. Licensed under Creative Commons.