George DeWayne Root 48, was born in Norwalk, California on February 09,1961. He died unexpectedly on October 22, 2009. He was a devoted husband and father and a loving brother and uncle. George had been a Tucson resident for over 20 years, and a member of the Mountain View Church of the Nazarene.
He is preceeded in death by his mom and dad, Russell and Alice; son, George Jr.; and niece, Toni. George is survived by his dear wife, Judy; children, Chelsea, Chris and Chase; brother, Sonny (Becky) Root; sisters, Joy (Walt) Gardner and Teena Margo (Don) Schug; nieces and nephews, Allen, Lyn (Jessie), Max (Mara), Kasy (Allyson) and Shanna. You will be sadly missed, George!
Psalms 139 (NASB)
[1] O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
[2] You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar.
[3] You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
[4] Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all.
[5] You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.
[6] Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.
[7] Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
[8] If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.
[9] If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
[10] Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
[11] If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,"
[12] Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.
[13] For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb.
[14] I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.
[15] My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
[16] Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.
[17] How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
[18] If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.
[...]
[23] Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
[24] And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.
There are three things about this passage that I want to point out today, as they are a great comfort to those of us living on this earth, especially when we are grieving the loss of a loved one and friend.
First: God knows each of us intimately. In verses 1-5 the Psalmist uses words and phrases that convey to the reader this intimacy of relationship of God to each individual He has created.
None of these descriptions of God's intimate knowledge of us are intended to show God as a tyrant or dictator waiting for us to screw up so He can punish us. This is a picture of a loving, caring, merciful God who has my best interests next to His heart.
Second: God is involved with us in our lives here on earth. Look at how the Psalmist phrases this involvement.
God's involvement shows us that He truly does have our best interests next to His heart.
Third: The last important thing about this passage concerning God as a comfort and strength to us while we live here on this earth is our response to God. If we do not respond to God as He reaches out to us, then we are left to rely on our personal knowledge and strength to live life.
That path is tainted with the limited wisdom of this world which is tainted and stained by sin. But the Psalmist presents another response to God which brings us all these benefits that the Psalmist has talked about.
The Psalmist shows us a very simple response to God.
God wants us to serve Him because He knows that the most fulfilling life we can have is in intimate relationship with Him. A relationship with Him that is lived out in our daily lives.
But more importantly, today, this passage is a great comfort to us in our grief and pain.
Christ's resurrection is the foundation of the Gospel message.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (NASB)
[1] Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,
[2] by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
[3] For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
[4] and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
Without the resurrection, there is no hope for life after death.
1 Corinthians 15:16-19 (NASB)
[16] For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised;
[17] and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.
[18] Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
[19] If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
The certainty of Christ's resurrection is the certainty of our life after death. It is the one thing that gives us hope that our life was headed somewhere besides a grave.
1 Corinthians 15:20-26 (NASB)
[20] But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.
[21] For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.
[22] For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
[23] But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming,
[24] then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.
[25] For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.
[26] The last enemy that will be abolished is death.
The hope of victory is fulfilled in the resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:50-58 (NASB)
[50] Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
[51] Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
[52] in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
[53] For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.
[54]But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.
[55] "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?"
[56] The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;
[57] but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
[58] Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
The grave is not our destiny, it is only a doorway. The Christian hope of the resurrection is what makes it possible for us to get on with our lives. One painful step at a time, with God by our side, we now turn toward the task of living our lives again. But never let us forget the hope of our eventual resurrection.
Lord, we lay this body here as a seed sewn in hope. A seed that will one day produce the fruit of a vessel that is new, refreshed, healed, and ready to enjoy what you have for us in eternal life.
Lord, I pray that you would be with Judy, Chelsea, Chris, and Chase in these difficult days. I know that your loving arms are there for comfort, strength, and support for each of them.
Lord, I pray for all of the family members. I know that the loss of George is a very shocking and painful experience for them as well. Embrace them in your loving arms.
Lord, I also pray for friends, that they too may feel your comforting presence in these days.
Lord, we love You. We trust You. We turn toward your loving arms in faith and hope of better days ahead.
Amen
NASB - New American Standard Bible (NASB). Cedar Rapids: Laridian, 2002.