Get Your House in Order

We understand the need when we grow old to put our things in order. Who will get our possessions? Who will take care of our requests. The older we get, the more we think of death and having our life in order. Now is the time to get our house in order.

“Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city, or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield, or cast up a siege mound against it.  By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, says the LORD.  For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”  And the angel of the LORD went forth, and slew a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.  Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went home and dwelt at Nineveh.  And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, slew him with the sword, and escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead. In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: Set your house in order; for you shall die, you shall not recover.”  Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the LORD, and said, “Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in thy sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.  Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah:  “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.  I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and defend this city.

Isaiah 37:33-38:6

As we dive deeper into Great Lent, the Church calls us to deeper devotion to God. We are no longer talking about just prayer and fasting. Today we are talking about our impending death. We cannot avoid death. We know that much, but we rarely live prepared.

Most people in the United States live without a will. When they die, family members and friends argue over what to do with the estate. Judges and lawyers fight over control of assets, and the only reason is because we die without having our house in order.

What is true about our physical assets can also be true about our spiritual assets. If we do not have our spiritual house in order, the demons will fight over our soul when we die. We will die. Read today’s lesson from the Prophet Isaiah as a reminder for your house, your soul.

Great Lent is the perfect time to get our affairs in order. Our attention is more on God this season than during any other time of the year. It is as if we are lying sick in the hospital with a fatal disease. We are finally pondering what will happen when we die.

It doesn’t matter how old we are. None of us know when we will die, except for God. He alone knows our time and place. Allow today’s reading to remind us that the time is coming. God may choose to extend our time, but we must have our house in order.

Have you had confession recently? Have you prayed as if your soul depends upon it? Have you forgiven those who acted or spoke against you? Have you helped those who needed you? Before you are out of time, do what must be done.

If you awake tomorrow because God has extended your time, be thankful and ‘get to work.’ Stop living as if tomorrow is just another day. Start living as if tomorrow isn’t coming for your soul’s sake. At least your house will be in order.

Living like tomorrow isn’t coming doesn’t mean living on the edge. You still should plan to be at work or school. You should still make sure your retirement is enough to keep a roof over your head and food in your refrigerator. The only difference is that your soul will be ready too, not just your estate.