Psalm 48:12-14 Walk about Zion, go around her,
    count her towers,
 consider well her ramparts,
    view her citadels,
that you may tell of them
    to the next generation.
For this God is our God for ever and ever;
    he will be our guide even to the end.

I chose this to write on because of the immediate situation in Israel, with the nation in high alert because of the 200 drones that have been launched against her by Iran in retaliation for Israel having taken out Iran’s nuclear weapons sites. It strikes me that it would be highly ironic if one of those were to land on the Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem, clearing the way for the reconstruction of the Temple! That’s all very true, but the last line in Japanese caught me totally off guard: “God will lead us over/overcoming death.” Reading that blew my mind! God indeed leads us through death, past death into His everlasting kingdom, but I had no idea there was such a statement in the Old Testament. On a different note, the mention here of walking around Jerusalem, counting her towers and considering her ramparts, made me think of the archaeological work that is continuing even today, uncovering all sorts of things that confirm the Biblical narrative. Muslims try to have it both ways, claiming Abraham but denying David. We haven’t found physical evidence of Abraham, and aren’t likely to, but there is plenty of evidence of the Davidic dynasty, and confirmation of the historicity of the Bible in general. So we’re back to the whole matter of Jerusalem confirming God’s faithfulness, as well as giving us the assurance that He will lead us through death to eternity with Himself. That is peace that the world can’t match, much less generate.

So how does this apply to me? I am very aware of what is going on in the world, but rather than allowing it to upset me, I am to take it as reminders of God’s faithfulness. As people all around me encounter death, I am to rest in the assurance of eternal life, not only for me but for all who acknowledge Jesus as Lord. I am to seek to leave a legacy that will testify of God’s faithfulness, drawing future generations to open their hearts to Him. We live in a tiny slice of time, but God is throughout eternity. I have the privilege of telling people about Him, so that they too may trust Him to lead them over death.

Father, thank You for this reminder. The world is indeed stirred up, with the airliner crash in India, war in Ukraine and the Middle East, and genocide in Africa. Help me pray as You direct and otherwise act as Your agent, never losing sight of the reality that You are Lord, and You have the ultimate answer to everything. Thank You. Praise God!