“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭57:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I recently attended the funeral of a young man and as I listened to family members share the memories, the joys, the heartaches, and the grief, I sensed their heart cry for God’s mercy. Indeed, in this life, don’t we all cry out.

Life can be hard and we cry out for mercy. We often find ourselves inadequate, we don’t know what to do. We struggle. We fight. We mess up. We mourn. We cry. We fail. We may even give up. But death can be harder still. It reminds us, life is short.

We don’t know which day will be our last. Therefore, we need to live it. Celebrate it. Fill it with what’s important. Scripture tells us in Psalm 90, Teach us how short our life is, so that we may become wise. Another version says Oh! Teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well!

We also don’t know which day will be the last of someone we love. Therefore, make time for them. Love them. Tell them how much they mean to you. As Scripture tells us in Romans 12, Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Say what’s on your heart now and don’t wait to say it over a casket. Be okay with having hard conversations. Remember, someone may be hard to live with, but they will probably be harder to live without.

Sure of the things we hope for

Therefore, we do not grieve like people who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Rather, we live as those who are sure of the things we hope for… certain of the things we cannot see. (Hebrews 11:1) and we hold on firmly to the hope we profess, because we can trust God to keep his promise. (Hebrews 10:23).

Prayer
Father, thank you for your mercy, that we can look to You for protection and hide beneath the shadow of Your wings, knowing whether in life or in death, we can give thanks to you, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!