Thoughts on the Death of Ravi Zacharias

As I was eating my breakfast last week prior to heading to MD Anderson for my cancer treatment, I read that Ravi was leaving MD Anderson to return to Atlanta to be with his family. His cancer treatments had failed to stop the spread of cancer. My first thought was about me. What chance do I have for a miracle if Ravi Zacharias didn’t get one. Ravi was a great soldier in the Lord’s army. He had an international platform from which to preach the gospel. He was one of the greatest apologists of our time. And he did not get his prayers answered. Today, he died.

Satan, of course, is quick to point out the futility in believing God for a miracle in my life. If Ravi can’t get one, what chance does Bill have? It would seem that I have no chance at all. It only makes sense doesn’t it, that if Ravi couldn’t get a miracle, then Bill can’t either. The problem with this line of reasoning is that it is based on man’s system, not God’s.

Man’s system is based on merit. This system states that the more one does or the better one is, the more he/she should be able to obtain from God. This system is based on a ranking, which rewards accomplishments. It also seems fair, doesn’t it? The more one accomplishes for God, the more one can expect to receive from God.

I did a word search on the word “fair” in the Bible. Fairness is only used by God to describe how judges should render their verdicts. The word is not used in how God relates to mankind. God does not treat us fairly. He treats us better than fair, he treats us with grace.

Grace is defined as unmerited favor from God. “Unmerited” is the key word. God’s favor is received by the believer based on God’s love for us, not by what we do to try to earn it. Grace takes the pressure off of me to merit God’s favor or blessings because I already have it.

We see God’s grace exhibited in the Old Testament in many different ways. God chose Abram to bless. Abram did not earn the blessing, God picked him to bestow His blessing on. God chose Jacob over his brother Esau through which the line of His blessing would flow. God chose David, the youngest and most unlikely male child of Jesse, to be king of Israel and to father the lineage of Christ. God chooses whom He will bless and how He will do it. He does this based on His plans to bring glory to Himself.

For reasons we will probably never understand, God did not chose to heal Ravi here on earth. For reasons we will probably never understand, God may choose to heal me. One thing is certain and that is this:  God’s decisions are not based on merit or favor or anything other than the accomplishment of His purposes to bring glory to Himself.

This makes my decisions regarding cancer treatments easier. God will decide. Joan and I are getting advice and treatments from the best cancer facility in the U.S., just as Ravi did. Beyond that we can’t do any more. The rest is in God’s hands. I can rest in His peace knowing that He has everything under control.