Every time I do a funeral of a
person whose life is cut short because of bad decisions I wonder what went wrong. It's
a real tragedy with many questions that might never get answered. Answers
and hope at a time like this can only come from God. We need to look (up) and
listen (obediently) to the Lord.
In Psalms 88 the psalmist
begins with his eyes looking up...
“Lord, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry
out to you.
May my prayer come before
you; turn your ear to my cry.”
Then he looks at the world and
starts his lament.
“ I am overwhelmed with
troubles and my life draws near to death. I am counted among those who go
down to the pit; I am like one without strength. I am set
apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you
remember no more, who are cut off from your care. You have taken from me
my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them. I am
confined and cannot escape; my eyes are dim with grief. Why, Lord,
do you reject me and hide your face from me?”
Then he looks back up from where our
help really comes from.
“I call to you, Lord,
every day; I spread out my hands to you.
I cry to you for
help, Lord; in the morning my prayer comes before you.”
How's
your life – are you looking
up for your help or looking out?
Are you
listening?
