Psalm 118:1

Psalm 118:1

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

for his steadfast love endures forever.

The cry of David's heart is the praise of the goodness of God. God's goodness demands our full thanksgiving; there is no other qualifier given. God is good; therefore we praise Him.

But why is God good? What is the determining factor that reveals His goodness? It is His steadfast love. God is supremely good because His kindness, love, and faithfulness are supremely enduring. Not even for a moment is His favor withheld from those who are kept in Christ. The love of the LORD is inexhaustible. No event, no power, no distance could remove or keep God's love from His children (Rom. 8:38-39).

This is ultimate peace. We are kept secure by the everlasting love of God (John 3:16-17; 10:27-28). And in light of this truth, we have nothing to fear (1 John 4:18); God is for us, and no one can stand against us (Rom. 8:31). Poverty cannot rob us of His love, nakedness cannot strip us of His care, fear cannot cause His kindness to flee, torture cannot twist us from His grasp, and burdens cannot fall us from His faithfulness. Unemployment, divorce, shattered families, lost friendships, cancer, and loss of loved ones are no match for God's love. Neither life nor death nor time itself can oppose it.

Amor vincit omnia.

Psalm 116:15

Psalm 116:15

Precious in the sight of the LORD

is the death of his saints.

The most detestable thing to the heart, soul, and mind of a natural man is death. Because man is temporal-minded, there is no greater thing to fear. Death takes away all we have in life. It separates us from loved ones and pulls us from riches. It is truly the Grim Reaper.

But for the saints there is ultimate hope because God rescues from ultimate fear - the fear of death (Heb. 2:14-15). Christ's resurrection on our behalf eliminates any need of fear. His power over the grave is our hope of eternal life; death is merely a means to get there, so death is our gain (Php. 1:21). All in this life pales in comparison to the life to come (Pss. 63:3; 116:9).

It is fitting then for God to count the death of His people as a positive thing. It is not discouraging in His sight; it is not hopeless, dark, or terrible; it is not a tragedy. It is precious. And it is precious because death - spiritual then physical - is the gateway to life.