On the Expectancy of Death – Sunday, April 15, 1945
The ever-present expectancy of death is never far removed from any of us—whether we realize it or not. None of us can avoid it. It comes alike to the great and to the unknown; to the righteous and to the unrighteous. Wherein we differ is not in our ability to avert it, but in the preparedness with which we meet it. At such times some question the judgments of God. Some find bitterness because of the circumstances and because of the seeming untimeliness of death. With our limited understanding, often we do not agree with the time and the place and the manner in which men come and go.
We see many live and prosper, who, according to our way of thinking, may not deserve to do either. We see many die, who, in our judgment, have earned the right to live and whose presence among us is sorely needed. And if, with our limited perspective and understanding, we were called upon to give an explanation of the pattern of life and death as it daily takes shape before our eyes, we might be led to conclude that in it all there is lack of purpose, lack of justice, lack of consistency. But fortunately for us and for all men, it has not been given unto us to judge, nor to execute, nor to measure out the days and the years of men.
We may be most grateful that such matters belong to the Lord God our Father, who sees things past and things to come. And, we may be grateful for the assurance that there is plan and purpose in this world, and in our own lives. And in this time of troubled hearts, when one day knows not what the next will bring, we learn to face all eventualities, with renewed conviction, with trust and confidence. And again we say to all men, God lives. His purposes do not fail of accomplishment. The destiny of men and of nations is in His hands, this day—and always. May His peace be with us, in this hour, and in all the days to come.
*Revised from “Justice in Death.”
“The Spoken Word,” heard over Radio Station K S L and the nationwide Columbia Broadcasting System, from the Tabernacle, Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Sunday, Apr. 15, 1945. Copyright 1945.
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April 15, 1945
Broadcast Number 0,817