“I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath! Death wrapped its ropes around me; the terrors of the grave overtook me. I saw only trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Please, Lord, save me!” How kind the Lord is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours! The Lord protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and he saved me. Let my soul be at rest again, for the Lord has been good to me. He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. And so I walk in the Lord’s presence as I live here on earth! I believed in you, so I said, “I am deeply troubled, Lord.” In my anxiety I cried out to you, “These people are all liars!” What can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and praise the Lord’s name for saving me. I will keep my promises to the Lord in the presence of all his people. The Lord cares deeply when his loved ones die. O Lord, I am your servant; yes, I am your servant, born into your household; you have freed me from my chains. I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people— in the house of the Lord in the heart of Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!”
Psalms 116:1-19 NLT
One of the strange things that set humans beings apart from other creatures is our propensity to wonder. We philosophize everything that we encounter and we theorize about everything we don’t. People do this to varying degrees but all people encounter three basic thoughts that reoccur, and one basic conclusion. The three thoughts are questions. The first is “where did I come from?” The second is , “where am I going?” And the final thought is, “why am I here?” If man was merely material, and not possessed with a spirit, this self awareness would be obvious and easy. Man came from the ground, he will return to it and that is his purpose. But instead man constructs a different answer and a phantom to overcome in the form of death. Death is a vigilant spectre that seeks to destroy us. He is the source of our despair. He is the ultimate reason man cries to his creator. He sees no other recourse. He is not content with the trite answers of a material mind. He philosophizes God. And he is right to do so. God is as obvious as death. Only he accounts for our lack of acceptance of the material circle of life. The psalmist gives the premiere message of hope. Not only is it reasonable to call on God, but God listens and responds. Amen indeed.
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