Precious in God’s Sight
Scripture Reading — Psalm 116
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.
I participated in my friend Ron’s funeral. There we were, at a funeral home, surrounded by the businesspeople of Ron’s career world.
There were young men in flashy suits who looked like they were eager to be somewhere else. There were also older, heavier men, many of whom had a body shape like Ron’s and who bore the same weariness in their faces. Ron’s dad and mom were there too.
I don’t remember what I said about Ron that day. Nor do I remember what I said about Jesus. But I do remember feeling that to a lot of people Jesus doesn’t makes sense.
Also, no one seemed to care about who Ron was as a Christian. The money he made for the company was nice, and he was a decent enough guy, but no one really cared about anything else in Ron’s life. If he was into some religious thing, that was fine but unimportant.
There are various interpretations of Psalm 116:15. The one I cherish is that God attends to us when we die. God cares about the life we have lived. God sees us as we really are, and he sees us as his own.
That’s the comfort you can have if you’re a Christian. Jesus loves you, and he deeply cares about you—in life and in death.
Jesus, I love it that you know me, that you see me as I am, and that you have begun your work in me. Please make your love flow through me, so that people can feel your grace. In your name, Amen.
About the author — Keith Mannes
Keith Mannes serves as pastor at Highland Christian Reformed Church in McBain, Michigan. Keith and his wife, Alicia, recently celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary,
and they are thankful for their three children—Eben, Charis, and Breanna.
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