“When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go.’” (John 11:43-44)
I know there are different church traditions, regarding offering prayers for the dead, and I’m going to completely sidestep them all. I was raised Presbyterian, and I don’t ever recall being encouraged to offer prayers for the dead. But some time ago, during intercessory prayers, God conveyed, in my heart, with a great sense of urgency, to pray for someone whom had recently passed away.
Our eternal and almighty God hears prayers offered after the fact before the fact; therefore, I will even pray for the souls of the dead. God is not subject to time; time is subject to God; no prayer is ever too late. The Lazarus story comes to mind (John 11:38-44). “When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go.’” (43-44). Even after being dead for four days, not only was Christ not too late to restore Lazarus to life, but theologians speculate that Jesus may have delayed His arrival in order to demonstrate the glory of God in this way.
By no means do I advocate a wait and see policy on giving our lives to the Lord; we cannot manipulate or outmaneuver God. Yet, for all the same reasons we cannot manipulate or outmaneuver God, we should never give up hope in Him. God is the beginning and the end. God is timeless. I pray for the dead, because no prayer is ever too late, because God is the master of time, not its subject.
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I also pray for the dead, though I don’t feel the need to do so more than once. My reasons are exactly the same as yours with one additional thought: being outside of time, God can also stop time–like that moment before death has taken over. In other words, there is still time for one last chance, and God will give the person as long as he or she needs to make the decision before closing the door. Great post!
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Thank you!
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I do the same, and for the same reasons. Well explained.
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Thank you!
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Makes sense to me. I also pray for the dead.
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Boethius (died circa 522 A.D.) said that God stands outside of time. Thus, prayers offered after the fact are heard as it were before the fact. Protestants do not accept the logic of the place called Purgatory. For those who believe in Purgatory, praying for the souls there is a work of spiritual mercy.
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I’m finding out that more Protestants are praying for the dead than I ever thought. I agree with your comments. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. God bless!
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Fabulous post. I really enjoyed the read and the feeling behind it.
Truly Wonderful.
~ Cobs. x
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Thank you! Much appreciated! God bless!
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And the same to you ‘Amazing Tangled’. ~ Cobs. x
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I look forward to following your blog.
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Precious! This encouraged me today.
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Thank you for sharing. That means so much to me! God bless you!
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Thank you for liking my blog; the feeling is mutual! This was beautifully written. I also pray for the dead; maybe as a way to keep them in my heart?
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I look forward to following your blog, and thank you for your kind words.
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I think praying for the dead is different than praying to the dead. I agree with the time thing though.
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I totally agree.
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