trust Archives - Kristina Lunde

April 27, 2026 by Kristina Lunde Leave a Comment

God’s Word Versus Our Deathly Fears

Death is an inescapable conclusion to this life. Although death’s outcome—cessation of physiological signs of life—is inevitable, the when and how details are often unpredictable. Yet isn’t death, albeit a serious outcome, one of the many unknowns that life presents?

As humans, we face life’s unknowns—over and over. Where do I go? What now? How will I get through this? What do I do when faced with life’s challenges? Just as I submit my current situations to God’s will, so I need to trust Him with future unknowns.

My transition from earth to heaven remains an unknown. What will my last days in this world look like? Cancer? Stroke? Car accident? Dementia-related decline? Will I find out in five, ten, or twenty years? Or will death surprise me in months, weeks, or even days?

A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed. Job 14:5 NIV

How my earthly life will end, I cannot predict. But I trust the one true God who will be with me through dying, death, and my transition to heaven.

A cross may stand above my buried bones some day, or my remains may be scattered across the ground. No matter what happens to my body after I die, my soul’s certainty is because of the cross. My Savior Jesus Christ died on that cross, thereby saving me from my sins and the resulting eternal punishment. Jesus took the penalty of my sins—and the sins of all who believe in Him—to that cross. Jesus’ death on the cross makes all the difference to me, both in this world and the next. God’s Word tells me that because I believe in Jesus, I am assured of eternal life with Him in heaven.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

From Jesus on His cross to the repentant thief on a nearby cross:

Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43

That is my ongoing hope and future: to join my forgiving Savior in paradise when I die. I have no idea about God’s timing for my transition from earth to heaven. So my focus for now is to continue serving Jesus while I live on this earth.

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21

Lord God, please teach me to submit everything to your will. Not just death, but help me trust your way in every unknown I face. I want to entrust my future, however long or short it may be, to your timing. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

March 31, 2026 by Kristina Lunde Leave a Comment

Deathly Fears and God’s Word

Two octogenarian ladies recently confided their fear of dying to family members. When I heard about that, I felt surprised. These women have loved and served Jesus for over half a century. I could not imagine that they would question their relationship with God or their heavenly destination. For decades, I have witnessed how they lived and loved others in Jesus’ name. How they could be fearful of death confused me.

Deathly Fears

For those who fear death, does the decline from health to the last heartbeat scare them? For example, the potential of a long illness, terminal diagnosis, or painful suffering might provoke anxiety. The idea of facing death alone may seem overwhelming and uncontrollable. Fears of death also relate to what is left behind: unmet goals, unreconciled relationships, or an unfulfilled legacy. There may be unfinished tasks, like a house full of stuff left to children who don’t want anything. Although looking forward to being with Jesus, do they fear that interval between their last heartbeat and heaven?

Although I didn’t speak with these ladies about it, I thought about my own attitudes toward death. Some of those fearful aspects could happen at any time. My current healthy life could stop instantly in a car accident. My father died in a plane crash at age thirty-six. A sudden pain may result in a terminal diagnosis or sudden death. The oncologist told my seemingly-healthy seventy-six year-old mother that she had the body of a sixty year-old. Pancreatic cancer took her life less than five months later. My first husband dropped dead of a heart attack at forty-five, without cardiovascular symptoms or risk factors. From my family history, I have learned that death’s timing is unpredictable—for humans. But not for God.

Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:16 NIV

In Second Corinthians, Paul pictures our body as an the earthly tent that we live in. When that tent/body is destroyed by death, we go to the eternal house in heaven that God built:

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Corinthians 5:1

Jesus also described His Father’s house as a real place where we would go to be with Jesus:

My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14:1-2

Paul describes our desire to leave this earthly tent for our heavenly home. Expanding the metaphor of tents to clothing, Paul pictures heavenly life overcoming our mortality:

For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 1 Corinthians 5:4

No matter what my own death will look and feel like, I can trust the one who conquered death. First Corinthians 15 quotes Hosea 13:14 in the proclamation of Christ’s victory over death. I pray that any anxieties about death, that I or these two precious ladies have, be reassured by God’s promises. As believers who are forgiven because of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross, our destination after death is heaven.

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

December 31, 2025 by Kristina Lunde Leave a Comment

Christmas Insights to Last all Year

Lord of all creation, we celebrate the birth of your Son Jesus. Although King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus came to earth without human pageantry or celebrity recognition. From heaven’s throne to a stinky barn, He arrived seemingly unnoticed by anyone but His parents and farm animals. Yet an angel of the Lord shone with God’s glory and gave a prophetic birth announcement. The angels knew exactly who Jesus was and they broadcast it. No satellite signals to the entire planet. Instead, a multitude of the heavenly host lit up the sky, proclaiming God’s glory to rural shepherds.

Jesus, you broke every barrier, defied human conventions, and demonstrated your identity in unique ways from day one. The excitement of your birth, that we celebrate every Christmas, is commemorated in God’s miracles. So many glorious signs and wonders accompanied your birth: angel choirs, excited shepherds, a huge star, traveling academics, and royal baby gifts.

In contrast, Mary and Joseph might have focused on personal miracles, like their individual prophetic visits from angels. Other miracles included last-minute birth accommodations, visitors worshiping their newborn, and travel provisions given by wealthy strangers.

My Christmas Prayer

Lord God, teach me hospitality in your name. Guide me to recognize your work in other peoples’ lives. Let me speak your words of truth and hope to others. (Like Elizabeth welcomed and encouraged Mary in Luke 1:39-45.)

Please God, help me trust you when the night is dark, there is no place to rest, and pain comes upon me. (Like Mary and Joseph trusted you in Luke 2:6-7.)

Heavenly Father, make me faithful in worshiping and honoring you, especially in unexpected situations. (Like Mary glorified you in Luke 1:46-56 and the shepherds told others about you in Luke 2:9,15-20.)

Jesus, teach me to obey you and keep going. Show me how to follow your guidance, even when it involves sacrifice, danger, and detours. (Like the wise men obeyed you in Matthew 2:1-12).

Lord Jesus, just as you did for those who welcomed you as a baby, please teach me to trust and obey you. Help me to keep learning and applying those Christmas insights to my life, not just at Christmas but all through the new year. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

July 18, 2023 by Kristina Lunde Leave a Comment

Job’s Wife on Grief and Bitterness

Dear Modern Mama,

No, you probably don’t know much about me. I’m not a Bible superstar or good example of faith. In fact, the infamous line I am known for is, “Curse God and die!” (Thankfully, my words are only recorded in one Bible verse, Job 2:9.) Despite that, I hope to encourage you to seek God during the grief and suffering that life inevitably brings.

As my husband Job lay in ashes scraping his painful wounds, I questioned how he could maintain his faith. That’s when I urged him to give up on God and give in to death. I did not mean for Job to take his own life. Instead, I meant that he should blame God and let death take him, since he was half-dead already. Yes, I wrongly said evil things as I wallowed in my grief and bitterness. At the time, I didn’t know what else to do but blame God. Enemy raids, sword attacks, deadly fires, and fierce winds killed animals and people, including our ten children. My precious children! Taken from us in multiple sudden catastrophes. My entire life as a mother wiped out. Farmworkers, shepherds, nannies: all employees gone in an instant. Our livelihood ruined. I felt crushed and overwhelmed by grief and sorrow.

I got angry at God and succumbed to bitterness. Job’s friends sat with him for one week in empathy and mourning. I couldn’t stand being near Job because of his stinky breath and those putrid boils. Now, I am ashamed of my actions and of how I blamed God. I write to you in hopes that you will follow my husband Job’s example instead of mine. Don’t be like me and let grief and bitterness take over your heart until you shut out God. Notice that I am never named, and never again quoted, in the Bible.

Job maintained his close relationship with God. Despite being confronted and accused by his friends, Job kept his faith and integrity throughout his trials. He rebuked me for my comments, but he did not sin. How could he keep trusting in God after all that we had experienced?! Job questioned, but respected God. He challenged God, yet submitted to Him. Job wailed in pain, but trusted God for help. I did none of that. How I wish I had turned to God with my grief and anger like my husband did. Check out my husband’s book of Job to read the laments of his heart as he expressed them to God. Yes, Job maintained his integrity. Regretfully, I did not.

Dear friend, please trust God no matter what you are going through. Know that our God is big enough to handle any anger and emotions you feel. God can help you deal with the trials of your life. When life hurts and death seems like a better option, God can teach you to trust and submit to Him. Our God may not answer with specific reasons why, but He will guide and sustain you through everything you experience. Although I learned these lessons late, I share my story—and what I learned from my husband—with you.

By watching my husband Job deal with his suffering, I learned so much about God. Yes, my man of God stayed married to me, and later we had ten more children. I did not deserve God’s favor. Like He did for Job’s friends, God blessed me because of my husband’s faithfulness to God. How I wish I had trusted God, like my husband Job did, to help me through grief and suffering! My bitterness and resentment against God consumed me. I pray that you would avoid my sinful path and instead turn toward God during sorrow and trials.

Praying for our dear Lord to teach you through my mistakes.
Job’s wife

June 26, 2023 by Kristina Lunde Leave a Comment

Jochebed: Obedience over Fear

Dear Modern Mama,
Obeying God challenged me to face my fears about raising kids in our situation. Both Levites, my husband Amram and I (Jochebed) lived in Egypt with all the other Israelites. The Egyptians had long forgotten God’s miraculous famine relief administered through our forefather Joseph. A new pharaoh, the reigning Egyptian king, felt threatened by our numbers and forced us into slave labor. I worked the fields with the women, and my dear Amram laid bricks with the men. Hebrew children had to fend for themselves as their parents worked for the Egyptian slavemasters. Amram and I feared bringing children into this world; our people had been slaves for generations. God’s covenant promises of a nation and land of our own seemed impossible. Sometimes I found it difficult to obey God and trust His care for our family.

Into that life of slave labor, I again became pregnant. My two other children, Aaron and Miriam, would soon be old enough to start in the fields. The pharaoh begrudged our people’s strength and population growth. He ordered the midwives to kill the Hebrew boys they delivered, but, thankfully, they refused. Into this scary world, my baby boy was born. My beautiful boy, born healthy and whole! But then the pharaoh ordered the Egyptians to kill newborn Hebrew boys by throwing them into the Nile River. They drowned innocent baby boys! So much sorrow and wailing!

As parents, we all think our children are the best and most special. Of course we do! We have the closest perspective of our kids and see them through the lens of our love and support. We are grateful for these precious gifts from God. I felt the same way about all my children, including my newest baby. God gave Amram and me a plan to save our baby boy. Since the Hebrew women avoided the Nile, we thought the Egyptians would never look there for Hebrew boys. I wove a basket to float my baby on the water, hiding him in the bulrushes along the Nile. While Amram and I worked during the day, Miriam watched her baby brother. I feared seeing them both drowned in the Nile! All I could do was trust God and obey what He had asked us to do.

I remember the day Miriam ran to the field, screaming for me to come to the river. I feared that my baby was dead, but as we ran, Miriam told me that pharaoh’s daughter had discovered our baby and had compassion. Miriam told me that the woman wanted to save him, but I feared that this was a plot to kill all of us. When we got to the river, Miriam’s words proved true. The pharaoh’s daughter wanted to save my Hebrew son! Would you believe she paid me to nurse my own baby?!

After purposefully floating my baby boy on the river of death, that became the site of God’s miracle of redemption when pharaoh’s daughter pulled my son out of the water. Actually, that’s what she named my boy—Moses—which means “drawn out of the water.” (Read about it in Exodus 1 and 2.) After I weaned Moses, I brought him back to the royal household to be raised as pharaoh’s daughter’s own son. Sometimes I feared, questioned, and ached in sorrow over not raising my boy.

Thankfully, God helped me push past my fear to obey Him and to trust that He would take care of Moses. I learned that obeying God is worthwhile, even at the risk of my life and my children’s lives. Not until after my death did I find out what God did through Moses—and all of my children, as recorded in the rest of the Torah. God even called my kids leaders (Micah 6:4)!

To our people in Egypt, it seemed like God had forgotten us in our slavery and sorrow. I focused on saving my baby from drowning, but God had a bigger plan. My Lord God rescued Moses from death and into God’s plan to bring life, redemption, and freedom to all of His people.

May God help you with the incredible children He has entrusted to you. May He teach you to obey Him even when you fear for your family, when you do not understand God’s plan, and when you do not know the outcome.

Sending you encouragement from the river of life,
Jochebed