Spiritual Reflections on the Death of Paul Walker

When someone close to us dies, it hurts. The pain runs deep; the tears flow freely. When a celebrity dies, especially someone in the prime of their career, like Paul Walker, it shocks us, but it doesn’t necessarily hurt those of us who did not know him personally.

But it does hurt those who are his friends and family: those who now have to deal with the shock and loss and seemingly never ending pain. Paul Walker leaves behind a fifteen year old daughter, Meadow. This is a time, as a teenager, where she needs her dad more than ever. She will now grow into adulthood without his presence and any personal guidance he would have provided. We need to pray for her.

I lost my mom when I was sixteen. That still stings. After she died, before the funeral, someone told me, “You will never get over her death, you will just learn to live without her.” That proved to be true. They also told me that the hardest part of her death will come after the funeral. That was true as well.

The only thing that helped me to survive as a teenager after my mom died was my faith in Jesus Christ. I had so many unanswered questions, that all I knew to do was to run to God and hold on as tight as I could.

I made it, thanks to Him.

For those of us who have lost loved ones, we understand what it means to compare death, like the Bible does, to a “sting” (1 Corinthians 15:55). It is a sting that is felt deep within the human spirit. For those left behind, we feel that sting every day for years, probably the rest of our lives.

The bible goes on to say that the sting of death is sin (1 Corinthians 15:56). That’s informative. The reason why death hurts is because of this thing called sin, We live in a world that is under a curse; that curse is named sin. Death is evidence of sin. Sin is separation from God; it is all the wrong that we have done.

God’s response to sin is Jesus Christ. Jesus came to this earth; He lived a perfect life and died a death on a cross to pay the penalty for all of the sin of the world. Because He did, we don’t have to. Because He paid the penalty for our sin, we can be forgiven. The evidence of that is the resurrection. Jesus conquered death. That gives us hope.

Pastor Greg Laurie is a man familiar with suffering. He experienced a horrible loss when his son, Christopher, was killed in a car accident. At his church, Harvest Christian Fellowship, he shared a series of messages about suffering. If you think that would be helpful for you, check it out here.

Pastor Greg has also put together some information to help people find a relationship with God. You can check that out here. 

In the coming days, remember to pray for the family of Paul Walker, especially his daughter, Meadow, and those who will be directly affected by his absence.