Death has been mankind's enemy, that dark spectre that has hung just behind our shoulder since shortly after being cast out of the Garden of Eden. We fear death for ourselves and for our loved ones, and when it strikes we grieve deeply. Today’s psalm from an unknown author, relates the great fear the psalmist had when he came close to death. He cried out in prayer to God, and gave thanks to Him for his deliverance.
This psalm is the personal testimony of passing through the deep valley of grief. He tells first of his love for the Lord who saw him through distress, sorrow, and grief. Then his desire to give God thanks for seeing him through this difficult time. Praise and thanksgiving should be the natural result of answered prayer.
We don’t know the specifics of the situation the psalmist faced. It could have been a near-fatal illness that he had. Perhaps he faced some enemy, coming close to being killed. Maybe there was some type of accident, or other dangerous situation that found himself in. Since we don’t know what it was, no matter what life-threatening situation we may ever be in, we can relate to this Scripture. Also, though the passage appears to deal with being delivered from physical death, it could also be recited by one saved from spiritual death, as well.
What do we do when God seems silent to us? There are times, often very desperate times, when we pray and we hear nothing back. When the terrible situation we are in, the deadly illness we or a loved one has, gets steadily worse, where is God? We are tempted to give up on God and turn away from Him. That is a mistake. Believers, instead, should press in to Him, and not pull away. Praise Him out loud for what He will do for us.
When we are afraid, we lose confidence and doubt God’s goodness. We are like the disciples in the boat during the storm. Remember, Jesus is in the boat with us. God is responsive to those who have put their faith and trust in Him (vs. 2). We can always reach Him. God is always near us, listening to our prayers. When no one else sees, God sees. When no one else cares, God cares. He sees. He hears. God’s timing is always perfect.
It is good to remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness and the hope that we have in Him (vs. 5-9). Faced with this desperate situation, the psalmist looked back at previous times the Lord came to his rescue. Looking back reminded him that God was One who could be trusted and relied on. One way for us to remember would be to spend some time naming the many ways God has been good to us. The same God who has been faithful in the past will continue His love for us in the future. His goodness can keep us filled with His peace.
When we pray to the Lord, we don’t always see His answer right away. However, believers are to walk by faith, not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7). Those who really believe in Jesus should speak of their beliefs to others (vs. 10, II Corinthians 4:13-15). When we share with others what the Lord has done for us, we might give hope and the beginnings of faith to others who are going through a similar difficult time.
What price can we put on our deliverance? (vs. 12) God needs nothing, and there is no price on His free mercy and grace. There is nothing we can ever do to earn salvation. Our salvation was bought with the price of the Blood of Jesus, and comes to us through faith, not by our works. When He answers our prayers, that is through His love for us. The only acceptable gift we can give is our obedience and thanksgiving.
What about the times when God doesn’t answer our prayers the way we would wish, when perhaps a loved one dies? Verse 15 contains a special answer to that. The Word of God says that the death of a believer is precious in His sight. Believers are precious to God. He carefully chooses the time when they will be called into His presence. When a believer dies, God rejoices that another one of His children has entered His eternal presence. We will grieve their passing, but we should also rejoice, knowing that they are now with the Savior. We should always remember - death is not the end, but a new beginning.
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