Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death

“I love the Lord because He has heard my voice and my supplications: Because He has inclined His ear to me; Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live…For you have delivered my soul from death, My eyes from tears, And my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord In the land of the living…Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints…I will offer unto you the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the Lord.” (Psalm 116:1-2,8-9, 15. NKJV). [Read Psalm 116] <>In the progression through the thanksgiving psalms, we come this day before Thanksgiving to Psalm 116, the theme of which is thanksgiving for deliverance from death. The psalmist was well acquainted with death. He wrote: “The pains of death encompassed me, And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me: I found trouble and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the Lord: ‘O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!’ (Psalm 116:3-4, NKJV). A beloved gospel song implores: “Take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there.” And this means any burden, even the burden of impending death. The psalmist took his fear and dread of death to the Lord in prayer. And he exclaims: “You have delivered my soul from death!” (v. 8) He gained the right perspective on death: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” (v. 15).

Death comes to all of us. But there is a way to be victorious, even in death. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4. KJV). For the Christian, who trusts the Lord with both life and death, he has a companion through the passageway from finite life to everlasting life. We may suffer before death. We may keep long and painful vigil at the bedside of loved ones as they face death. “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? But thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Corinthians 15:55, 57. KJV). Because God made a way, even through the valley of the shadow of death, we need not fear death’s pain. We know sorrow from it, because of temporary separation.

I live close to death and dying. Thoughts of death bring pain and sorrow. But just as birth is the passage into finite life, so death is the passage into eternal life. And there is victory, even in death. We must hold onto that glorious truth and deepen our faith. Let us thank God for deliverance through dying, through death and through transition to life everlasting! Yes! “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” Even death is cause for thanksgiving when viewed in the perspective of God’s encompassing love.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Taking the Sting Out of the Valley of Death

“Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me” -Psalm 23:4.

Phillip Keller in his book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, gives wonderful insight into the meaning of verse 4 of the Shepherd Psalm. In most sheep-herding areas, the shepherd must find summer grazing lands on higher slopes and different planes than for the rest of the year. The shepherd goes to scout out the area, Keller states, “He knew from firsthand experience about all the difficulties and dangers, as well as the delights, of treks into the high country…Never did he take his flock where he had not already been before.” He scouted out the paths, knew the best routes, knew where the best grazing lands lay. But he was also well aware of dangers along the way and guided his sheep safely through them as they journeyed to the high tablelands. The shepherd’s two trusted instruments, his rod and his staff, were used to rescue, protect and guard his flock.

When Jesus came to earth, He had a mission. That mission was to die as a sacrifice for the sins of the people and to provide a way for them to be restored unto fellowship with Almighty God. The Good Shepherd tasted death, he knew its sting, its finality. But because he went safely through and came out resurrected and victorious, death no longer held the sting and finality it once wielded. “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 15:55-57).

Life is full of valleys and “shadows of death”—even death at the end of life. Just now, I am facing the reality of my beloved companion’s death. He has been sick for a long time—hovering, as it were, in “the shadow of death.” I may go before him, because I don’t know what the future holds. Or, considering his long-time illness, he now seems very near to death within the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s. Because I have not walked this way before with him, there is a great sense of sadness at potential loss and physical absence. But the Lord is with us both, and He is walking with us through this valley. His rod and staff comfort me daily (rod—weapon of power, the Word of God, that brings protection as well as healing; staff—the shepherd’s symbol of authority, concern and compassion, the implement of rescue, His ever-present Holy Spirit). In the words of the old gospel song, “Lonesome Valley,” we know that each of us must make the journey through that vale. But we are not alone! The Shepherd is with the sheep. He walks there to carry me through! Selah!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Sunday, June 6, 2010