Last October, my family was dealt a tragic blow. My niece and her husband were driving to a football game and were instantly killed in a car accident. Both of them were age 39 and they left a family of 3 boys and an adopted daughter. As shock and grief kept me awake that night, I turned to the Psalms for comfort. I began to read Psalm 145. The first verse speaks of praising God forever and the second verse declares, “Every day I will bless you.”
My heart questioned, “Every day? Even today? Even in the face of this tragedy?” I knew that David knew about tragedy and pain, yet he still made this proclamation. As I continued to read I could see him explaining why:
- “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.” (v.3)
- “The Lord is gracious and merciful…and abounding in steadfast love.” (v.8)
- “The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” (v.9)
- “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations.” (v.13)
- “The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all his works.” (v.13)
David’s focus was on God, not on the circumstances of the day. In verse 5 he says, “On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.” Our trust in God’s greatness, His goodness, His faithfulness, and His eternal sovereignty, which are all far beyond our understanding, allows us to find hope beyond tragic circumstances, even beyond life itself.
Verses 14 and 18 hold words of beautiful comfort: “the Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down” and “the Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
I was reminded of Psalm 139, which tells me that God knows when I sit and when I rise, and that He has “every day ordained for me” written in his book even “before one of them came to be.” This day for Briana and Casey was well known by God, and it wasn’t a surprise or mistake on His part. While I can’t understand it, God the Creator does.
Just a few days later I read Psalm 74. The writer, Asaph, describes a tragic situation that seems hopeless for God’s people. Enemies have destroyed “all the meeting places of God in the land.” (v.8). In fact, Asaph feels that God has completely abandoned his people. In verse 12, though, he boldly declares, “Yet God my King is from old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.” He goes on to describe some of God’s historic actions on behalf of Israel, and then in verses 16 and 17, Asaph affirms His trust in God: “Yours is the day, yours also the night…. You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made both summer and winter.”
Isn’t it awesome to know that the nights and the winters in our lives belong to God? He doesn’t leave us during those times of darkness or cold. Whatever situation we face, He’s got it under control. If I believe that and trust Him, it brings true comfort.
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