Hope in the face of death

I love the LORD, because he hears me;
he listens to my prayers.
He listens to me
every time I call to him.
The danger of death was all around me;
The horrors of the grave closed in on me;
I was filled with fear and anxiety.
Then I called to the LORD,
‘I beg you, LORD, save me!’ (verses 1-4)

Read Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19

What a marvellous God we have, who is there for us at all times, even when we are surrounded by death. One of Robin Mann’s hymns expresses this so well:

When death was coming,
I was helpless, running,
but I had no place to hide.
O, Jesus heard me crying,
Jesus saw me dying.,
he came to my side (© Robin Mann 1978)

Another of his songs contains the words, ‘Death is never in hiding’. At funeral services we often hear the words, ‘In the midst of life we are in death’. Try as we may, we can’t get away from it. One out of one human beings dies. There is no escaping this date with destiny. But the gospel assures us, firstly, that because of our union with Jesus, the risen Lord, we need not die alone, and secondly, that we need not die without hope.

In the face of death, as Christians we say, ‘Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!’ (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Thank you, Lord, for the consolation, peace and hope that you give us in the face of death through your own death and resurrection. Amen.

by Pastor Kevin Schmidt, in ‘Assurance for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2004)

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