Tag Archives: end of life

The Temporary Life

03 Wednesday May 2017

Posted by in Psalm 146, Psalms

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Reading:                                          Psalm 146

(Verses 1-5)
Praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD, my soul.
I will praise the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
Do not put your trust in princes,
in human beings, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD their God (NIV).

Reflection

Last week I had a delightful telephone conversation with my mom. She was pleased to report that her last and final round of cataract surgery had gone very well. Her vision has greatly improved. Speaking of her follow-up exam, she said, “The most excited person in the room was the doctor. He was thrilled that the surgery turned out so well. I was the oldest patient he had ever operated on.”

Bike Ride 2015-07-28

Around the bend in the trail — photo by David Kitz

My mom is ninety-four, but she doesn’t let a minor thing like that slow her down. After all, age is just a number. She still keeps a busy schedule and out works many women half her age. Who else but my mother would annually sew a hundred quilts and donate them to Lutheran World Relief?

But she knows, just as we all know that her life here on this earth will come to an end. We best make the most of it while we have this precious gift. Time marches on, and time will eventually march us off to the grave as surely as the sun will rise tomorrow on a new day.

In today’s reading from Psalm 146, the psalmist makes a lifelong commitment. He commits himself to praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, my soul. I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

This is not an insignificant commitment. We were made to worship and we all do it, even the atheists among us. Some worship their money; others worship the pleasures of this world. Perhaps the greatest god of the current age is the god of self. Monuments to personal vanity have been erected all around us. I have been known to set up a few of these myself.

Genuine praise for the LORD tears down personal idols. It establishes His lordship over our lives. It acknowledges that He is in control. I have so little power. I can’t turn a white hair to black, at least not in the true sense. But the LORD knows the number of hair on my head and the number of my days. Ultimately, my life is in His hands. My life here is temporary. That’s why I need to put my hope and my trust in God—the eternal One. The psalmist’s words ring true. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God. And that blessing holds true for ninety-four-year-olds too.

Response: LORD God, I thank and praise you for the gift of life. You are worthy of worship. I commit to worshipping you every day for the rest of my life. Thank you for eternal life through Jesus. Amen.

Your Turn: Will you praise the LORD for all of your life? Are you ready to make that commitment?

The Death of His Faithful Servants

14 Wednesday Dec 2016

Posted by in Psalm 116, Psalms

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Reading:                                        Psalm 116

(Verses 15-19)

Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of his faithful servants.
Truly I am your servant, LORD;
I serve you just as my mother did;
you have freed me from my chains.

I will sacrifice a thank offering to you
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 courts of the house of the LORD—
in your midst, Jerusalem.

Praise the LORD (NIV).

Reflection

Funerals are fascinating occasions for a whole variety of reasons. Recently, I have had an opportunity to attend a number of these end-of-life events. There is something bittersweet about most funerals—bitter due to the loss of a loved one—sweet because often fond memories are recalled.

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Beyond the gate — photo by David Kitz

The end of a life here on earth gives us an opportunity to reflect on the values that the deceased portrayed, and by extension it allows us to examine the values and qualities that shape our own lives. Our lives paint a portrait. What sort of portrait will it be?

Apparently the LORD takes note when one of His own passes on from this life. Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants. Truly I am your servant, LORD; I serve you just as my mother did; you have freed me from my chains.

The word servant is significant in the passage above. It is repeated twice along with its verb form serve. Now here is a question for you. Who are you serving? Are you a servant of the LORD or are you serving only yourself?

Those who serve only themselves should expect few at their bedside as they draw their last breath. All too often their last days are spent in loneliness and bitter resentment, not so for those who spent their lives in the service of others and the LORD. They can expect to be surrounded by family and friends because they have poured out their lives in service. We reap what we sow, and when the Grim Reaper comes, those who have sown generously will be rewarded generously. God, Himself will be present!

Now we should note that service to others is service to the Lord. In essence, Jesus said just that when in his parable of the final judgment he declared, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). 

Response: LORD, I want to serve you. Today please show me how I can be the best possible servant to you and those around me. Open my eyes to the needs of others. I want to serve with joy. Amen.

Your Turn: Are you living a life of service? What does serving God mean for you?

Surely Everyone is but a Breath

17 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by in Psalm 39, Psalms

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Reading:                                      Psalm 39

(Verses 6-13)

“Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom;     

in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth     

without knowing whose it will finally be.

“But now, LORD, what do I look for?     

My hope is in you. Save me from all my transgressions;     

do not make me the scorn of fools.

I was silent; I would not open my mouth,     

for you are the one who has done this.

Remove your scourge from me;     

I am overcome by the blow of your hand.

When you rebuke and discipline anyone for their sin,     

you consume their wealth like a moth—surely everyone is but a breath.

“Hear my prayer, LORD, listen to my cry for help;     

do not be deaf to my weeping.

I dwell with you as a foreigner, a stranger, as all my ancestors were.

Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again     

before I depart and am no more.”  (NIV)

 Reflection

Today’s reading is the concluding portion of Psalm 39. In this psalm we find David in a silent, reflective mood. He contemplates the brevity of life and the certainty of the grave. In the previously posted psalm portion he prayed, “Show me, LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.”

Central Park, NYC -- David Kitz

Central Park, NYC — David Kitz

Why would knowing the number of our days matter? Well, it should focus our minds on making the most of the time available to us. Our days on this earth are not infinite. We are each allotted a predetermined number of days. In Psalm 139, another psalm attributed to David, we read, “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16).

We have no control or at best limited control over the number of days we live on this earth. But how and with whom we spend those days is within the range of our effective will. I can break my marital vows and my wife’s heart, or I can be true to her and my words spoken before God. I can love and raise my children in godly discipline, or I can neglect them or alienate them through harsh punishment. These are decisions that fall within the scope of my will. In this life and the next I will be accountable for the decisions I make. Undoubtedly, this is why David cries out, “But now, LORD, what do I look for? My hope is in you. Save me from all my transgressions.”

Response: LORD God, I need your saving help. Through the redemptive blood of Jesus keep me from being trapped and controlled by my transgressions. I need your presence in my life so that I can make the most of my days. May your Kingdom rule extend to me and through me to others. Amen.

Your Turn: Do you think you would live your life differently if you knew how many days you had left?