Now and for Evermore |
"I lift up my eyes to the hills." What lay beyond those hills for the psalmist? We do not know. But we do know the beautiful expression of hope and confidence he gives. Death lies beyond this final hill that confronts us now. From where does our help come? "The Lord," says the psalmist. The Lord who created us and who never slumbers will help us. The Lord will keep our life--now and for evermore.
We see that Paul, like the psalmist, also knows of the God whose love cannot be stopped by anything, even death. Like Paul, we have experienced this love in a way that the psalmist never could, for we know the Christ who suffered, died, and rose again to declare God's undying love. "God is for us," Paul announces. "Who is against us?" So then, in the face of danger or suffering or even death, Paul knows that "we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." We are victorious warriors marching through the darkness and desolation and death around us in the bright light of God's love revealed by his Son who leads us.
"Rejoice in the Lord alway; again I will say, Rejoice." Rejoice always? Oh, that we could, but oh, how can we not? The time of death is a time for sadness and grief, but it is also a time for rejoicing. Now more than ever we can see that the victory is ours and that our rest is at hand. Now more than ever we can know of the "peace of God which passes all understanding," for now more than ever the Christ who died stands before us as the Christ who lives. Now more than ever we rejoice in our God who loves us now and for evermore.
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Lord God, we praise and thank you for Jesus your Son who has revealed your love for us. We thank you that, by Christ's death, your love has conquered death and that Christ now lives with us to keep us and give us peace. Our eyes are lifted to you to lead us as victorious warriors through these last steps of this life. We thank you for the life you have given us now, and we place our confidence in you and the eternal life you promise us for evermore. Amen. |
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©1998 Mark Vitalis Hoffman - CrossMarks Christian Resources - www.CrossMarks.com