What Counts

I lost a friend this morning. I knew him briefly at a local church. He was vibrant, loving, and kind. I will miss him. I do believe that prayer is vital while we are on earth. I continue to pray for his wife and family. This morning I was comforted by my Father’s love and truth. I’ve been reading five psalms each day—here is what I read this morning.

I remembered first what I saw yesterday:

Psalms 115: 15-18:
Your blessings come from the Lord, who made heaven and earth,
The heavens that the Lord holds himself,
The earth he has assigned to men.
The dead cannot praise the Lord, nor any who sink to the silent land; but we bless the Lord now and evermore.

Jesus prayed for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. So do I, as long as I live. God rules in heaven and has assigned the earth to us. This is where we can do His will so long as we breathe. The dead cannot praise Him, nor any who sink to the land of silence in death. Yet we can while we are alive, and will do so when we have new bodies at Christ’s return—evermore.

God continues to save our lives each day.

Psalms 116:1,2
Hallelujah. I love to know that the Lord listens to the voice of my appeal;
because he bends his ear to me, I will pray to him all my life.

In the big picture, death is the last enemy to be destroyed. But while we live we can have confidence that the Lord listens when we pray, so we should continue to go to Him through His Son, our lord, Jesus Christ, who is raised from the dead and conquered death for us.

Psalms 116:3-9:
Death has netted me in desperate straits, I was in anguish and despair;
so I appealed to the Lord, “O you Lord, save my life!”
Tender and true is the Lord, our God indeed is pitiful [merciful];
the Lord protects poor souls—when I am helpless, he is my saving help.
Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt lovingly with you.
You have saved my life from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling;
I will live mindful of you now in the land of the living.

Death constantly stares us in the face. Life can seem to be full of anguish [mental pressure] and despair [cause to give up hope]. That’s when we go to God to save us. He is tender and true, ever merciful. He protects our souls when we are poor and humble, when realize we are helpless without Him. Jesus said: “I can of my own self do nothing.” Nor can we.

Since I still live, and God has countless times saved my life, dried my tears, and kept my feet aright—I will continually be mindful of His goodness while I have life and breath.

Psalms 116:10:
Though I cried out, “I am crushed,” thinking, in my distraction, “All men are a failure,” yet I had faith.

Even though the devil tries to crush us each day, and we can become distracted by his evil, and all men—even good ones—seem to fail around us. Yet we will have faith in God’s goodness to us in Christ. We have one God, our Father, Who gives all good things. We have one lord, Jesus Christ, who gave his life so we can know the Father and have eternal life.

Psalms 116:15,17:
Precious [costly] in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his devoted.
I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and proclaim the Lord aloud.

It is costly to God when a good person, one who was devoted to Him, dies. Yet, we should offer thanksgiving to God each day as our true sacrifice, and proclaim His goodness aloud to those who will hear. The dead in Christ will rise when he returns to gather us together, and those believers who are alive will be changed. We shall all have new bodies like unto Christ’s glorious, spiritual body. Let’s gladly proclaim it!

Psalms 117:1,2:
Hallelujah. Praise the Lord, all you nations, laud him, all you races;
for his kind love to us is vast, his loyalty will ever last.

Everyone, everywhere, should praise and thank the Lord for His goodness. His kind love to us is vast—in loving the world and giving His only-begotten Son for us. His loyalty will ever last—He is faithful to His promises, including raising the dead to eternal life at Christ’s return.

Psalms 118:1,5-7:
Hallelujah. Give thanks to the Lord!—he is good, his kindness never fails.
I was hard pressed, I called to the Lord; the Lord answered and he set me free.
The Lord is upon my side; I have no fear. What can man do to me?
I have the Lord as my Helper; so shall I feast my eyes on my defeated foes.

When things look dark, God’s good kindness never fails. We are hard pressed each day. But we call upon the Lord and He answers us, setting us free in Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is on our side, so we need not fear. What can people, ruled by evil spirits, do to us? With the Lord God and His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, we have help and will one day see these fallen angels judged for the evil we endure today. We still pray for the people, those who despitefully use us.

Psalms 118:11-14:
Swarming round me, they beset me; I routed them, relying on the Lord.
They swarmed like bees about me; I routed them, relying on the Lord. They blazed like the fire among thorns; I routed them, relying on the Lord.
Hard pressed was I, about to fall, but the Lord helped me.
The Lord is my strength, of him I sing, he has delivered me indeed.

Jesus said we would have tribulation, mental and physical attacks, in this life. Evil seems to swarm about us at times. When we rely on the Lord, our enemies will be routed and God will deliver us. He is our strength and saving aid. So, like the Psalmist, we sing in thanksgiving.

Psalms 118:21-25:
Thanks unto you for answering me, for your deliverance.
The stone the builders cast aside is now the building’s strength and pride;
this is the doing of the Lord—we can but watch and wonder.
“This is a day we owe to the Lord; let us be glad and rejoice in it.
O you Lord, lend your aid! O you Lord, prosper us!
In the Lord’s name, blessed be he who enters!”

How does God answer us with His deliverance? Through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the stone rejected by the supposed builders who is now God’s victorious strength and pride. Many quote Psalms 118:24 that this is the day the Lord has made. But it speaks of what joy we can now have in Christ who completed God’s plan for us. We who are alive, can but watch and wonder at God’s goodness to us each day.

We owe this day to the Lord’s gracious goodness. So we will be glad and rejoice in it. We will continue to pray and thank God for His aid and prosperity. Jesus entered the gates of Jerusalem in blessing. And he gives us access to the Father’s love, grace, forgiveness, power, and life. We are blessed when we enter God’s presence in the name of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ.

Psalm 119 has 176 verses showing God’s unchanging love and His faithfulness to His word. Here is how it closes.

Psalms 119:174-176:
I am longing for your help, O you Lord, and your law is my delight;
let me live that I may praise you, help me by your judgments;
seek out your servant in his wanderings, for I forget not your commands.

Each day I long for God’s help because I need it. His law, His judgments, His commands give stability in an unsure world. Lord, seek us out as we wander in this life. We will not forget Your promises and love to us in Christ.  Amen.