This afternoon I gave a funeral message on Psalm 31:14-15a—focusing on “My times are in Thy hands” for Dianne Arnoudse, a lifelong, seventy-year-old member of our church. My colleague, Dr. Maarten Kuivenhoven, spoke a committal message on Psalm 71:20-21 at the graveside. Diane struggled through many illnesses throughout her life (we did not think that she would make “the age of the strong”), but she was able to confess that Christ was her only hope. What an incredible change it is for a true believer to be led through fire and water in this life and then be brought into a wealthy place instantly and forever where sin and infirmity never enter, and where perfect utopian marriage with Christ lasts forever! Pray for the family as they mourn Dianne’s loss, and for all of us that we may be prepared to meet the Lord, being able to confess in truth: “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain!”
