Psalm 118:17 I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the Lord has done.

This verse has been seized on by many as a promise to them, sometimes rightly and sometimes as just wishful thinking. Just yesterday we got an email from someone battling cancer that quoted it. God does make promises like this at times, but our focus needs to be on serving Him for as long as He keeps us here. Length of days can be a good thing, but it certainly isn’t the deciding factor. When my father was in the hospital in Winston Salem before the heart surgery from which he didn’t wake up, a fellow Japan missionary who happened to be in the area visited him, and later commented, “I never met a man who had more reason to live, or who was more ready to die.” It was right around his 64th birthday, which by current standards is dying early, but over most of the course of human history it would have been considered a ripe old age. If we forget the second half of this verse, the first half loses its meaning. We are here to proclaim the works of the Lord and even participate in them, by His grace. We are here because He has work for us to do, so when we leave, it’s either “Well done, good and faithful servant,” or, “You’re fired.” Not much question which is better!

Since I am past my 65th birthday, this is very close to home. It is much easier to relate to the impermanence of my body when I am already older than my father was when he died. I well remember the shock felt by many at that time, the projects that were uncompleted, and the very real burden on my mother. Those are the biggest factors in my own desire to “stick around,” because as much enjoyment as I do get from many things in this life, I know that it can’t compare to what awaits me. Each day I live is a day closer to that reward! I am to be focused on what the Lord wants of me and for me each day, not bemoaning physical discomfort or thwarted plans. That’s not always easy! I am to be proclaiming the works of the Lord however He enables me to do so, rejoicing in Him and in the privilege of serving Him. I am to be sharing with others what He has given me on every level, so that they too may learn to love Him as He deserves, and serve Him accordingly.

Father, thank You for Your grace to me. Thank You that You never change, whatever seems to be changing around me. Thank You that when I wait expectantly on You, You indeed renew my strength. (Isaiah 40:30-31) Help me walk in Your strength each moment of today, knowing how You want me to use that strength and being faithful to obey, so that Your purposes may be accomplished on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!