“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints. O LORD, I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds. I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the Name of the LORD. I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people, in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!” Psalm 116:15-19
Devotional Thought For The Day
It seems somewhat out of place in the flow of thought, this assertion in regard to how God views the death of His saints. Likewise, in that death is a consequence of human sin, it seems inconsonant that God would view such deaths as “precious.” We view death as abhorrent, and even when circumstances of grievous pain make the hastening of death appear to be compassionate and humane, we still mourn the loss of loved ones to this “enemy.” We often direct our frustration and pain at God – Who is always able to save from death – when loved ones have been snatched away from us by death.
Even though such thoughts are understandable, and we commiserate with one another, it is obvious that our scope and perspective needs to be adjusted. Death, for saints of God, those who have heeded His call to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, is actually a relief and rest, ushering these dear children of God into the glorious presence of God where He wipes away all tears, sorrow, pain, and grief. In death we gain the victory, for “it is appointed unto men to die once, and after this the judgment.” [Heb. 9:27] Saints of God are kept in repentance, faith, and salvation, and in death experience the truthfulness of God’s promises, that “he that believes the Son has everlasting life.” [Jn. 3:36] There is no longer any possibility of them losing salvation and the blessed enjoyment of God’s eternal life, for they have already passed the judgment!
While the psalmist rejoices in these precious realities assured to the saints of God by His gracious love and His faithfulness to His true and certain promises, and that our eternal future is secure in the hands of God [John 10:28,29] he immediately returns to thoughts regarding our life here in this world. God has loosed his bonds, his fears and concerns, his sin and guilt, and all that threatens his freedom. He is now God’s servant – the most basic reality of his being and existence. This makes all the difference in the world – it is making a bad tree good [Matt. 12:33] so that its fruit is good. That fruit is thanksgiving to God, praise of God, worship of God, and commitment to God, to serving Him and keeping His ways, fulfilling his vows to the Lord – especially living in constant repentance and faith.
It continues to be an increasingly popular notion in America – that of being “spiritual” without being “religious.” The obvious victim of this misguided, impious, and misanthropic venture is the church. Consider that the psalmist recommits himself – as a dear saint of God, a faithful servant of God – to the “courts of the Lord’s house” and to the “midst of Jerusalem,” the center of religious life for God’s ancient people. It is here that he will “praise the Lord,” and he encourages us to do the same. I must confess that there are times I have been tempted to wonder about God’s insistence that our vertical relationship with Him is principally a horizontal relationship with others, especially fellow believers [consider 1 John 4:20,21 and Matt. 25:40]. There are numerous reasons that buttress this wisdom and gracious love of God – too many to rehearse in this writing. Let it stand that true piety and service to God resides within the fellowship of the church, and that one cannot love God when he cannot love his fellow believers, but chooses to be “spiritual” apart from the fellowship of the church. If there is anything that Scripture makes clear, it is this point. [1 Jn. 5:1]
So let us also “praise the Lord,” and let us do so truly, in genuine repentance and faith, in true humility and love, and in real thanksgiving and worship – within the fellowship of His saints, the church, our fellow believers!
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, thanks and praise be to You for providing us with earthly life and existence, for all the precious gifts that we enjoy here and now, and especially for redeeming us from sin and providing us with relief from all that pains and afflicts us. Help us to adjust our thinking, so that knowing the freedom of Your salvation we are emboldened to fully commit ourselves to our earthly duties, being Your servants and fulfilling our duties and obligations of love. Keep us properly thankful and worshipful at all times, fully devoted to the good and welfare of Your saints. Amen.