Some who follow Jesus can appear to die before their time. What is interpreted as an early death can be confusing to those left behind. There are other reasons for an early departure from this life.

“Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. Those who follow godly paths will rest in peace when they die” (Isaiah 57:1-2).

None of us know all that can happen in the future. One reason why some die before their time is because “the evil to come” would be too overwhelming for them to process. Death becomes a gift placing them in the presence of the Lord. This gift is only available to those who “follow godly paths.” They will die in peace, not in turmoil.

God’s decision about our time of death can be mysterious. It is planned by the Lord because as Scripture tells us, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts”. (Isaiah 55: 8-9).

The peace we are promised at the time of our death comes because we serve a God who lives in a realm of understanding higher than any consideration we could imagine. In that understanding, the peace of God is released at the time of physical death that like God, will be far above any fear we might bring to our time of passing. With God, nothing is either early or late regarding His people and their time on Earth. Everything He allows, even the time of our death, has a purpose higher than we can imagine.