DAILY READING
REFLECTION
God is for Us, So We Will Never See Decay
by: David Thompson
The theme of this psalm is the joys and benefits of a life lived in companionship with God. We enjoy these benefits now and eternally. It is funny how many times today we make plans and begin to carry them out and then ask God to bless them. That is what we see here in this passage. Instead we should seek God's plan and pray for God's blessing before we begin.
This morning I was asked to take part in a stakeholders' meeting about a plan that Festa, an organization started by a person in our church, Kim Emch. They feed kids throughout the summer and provide English teaching through the fall, winter and spring. Kim and her organization are wanting to expand the reach of the organization to include many thousands of people. This plan came with a lot of consideration and prayer. It will cost money, but the results could be tremendous. I wish Festa good luck as they follow God's leading in this task.
No matter what our plans we can be sure not to be shaken if we keep God at the center of the plan. Then when hard times come and even some failure (Matthew 5:45), we can be sure that the Lord knows and will help us avoid hopelessness as the unbeliever might feel.
This psalm closes with what is called a messianic ending because it is quoted in the New Testament. Specifically a parallel to the Parable of the Prodigal Son can be seen in David's statement about not being left in the grave. Like the Prodigal Son, we may be dead once (or considered to be dead), but we will be alive again (see Acts 2:25-28, 31: 13:35-37). In those verses we see that Christ was dead, but only for three days.
PRAYER
God, thank you for giving us such a reassuring passage. Thank you for being concerned about our endeavors. We also must thank you for creating for us a way to be released from the grave as you showed with your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen
