Psalm 118:1, 6, 8, 14, 17, 29 (NIV)

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans. The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. I will not die but live and will proclaim what the LORD has done. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.

It’s so easy to get bogged down in the short view of life. We have our good days, of course, but there seems to be an almost constant longing by most Christians for better days…less stressful days…less painful days…easier days. C.S. Lewis once famously said that, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.” That’s mostly true, but the world we were made for is the one we currently occupy, like it or not…but it won’t be this way forever:

“We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears, and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!”  1 Cor. 13:12 (The Message)

We struggle because we tend to walk by sight rather than by faith. We exist in the “here and now” and long for the “there and then,” which leaves us caught in the tension between the two. Can you make that tension go away? Not in this life, friend—but you can reduce it, and today’s psalm provides the key. Rather than being consumed by the short view, we need to consistently remind ourselves of The Long View, as well as the Truth of who it is that we worship.

God IS good. God’s love WILL endure forever. The Lord IS with you. You really have NO need to be afraid. Mere mortals CAN’T really hurt you in any lasting way. The Lord IS your ultimate source of strength. He IS your defense. He IS your very salvation. You do NOT have to fear death because it will only be a passing moment. We talk in the church about the need to preach the Gospel to the lost, but we need to continue to preach the Gospel to ourselves, as well! The trials, tribulations, setbacks, and pain we face in the here and now will NEVER resurface in the there and then. The desires we have now, as C.S. Lewis alluded to, WILL come to fruition in the world that is yet to come, so when you are down in the dumps, look up to the Heavens, and remember this TRUTH:

“For I am certain that not death, or life, or angels, or rulers, or things present, or things to come, or powers, or things on high, or things under the earth, or anything which is made, will be able to come between us and the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD, FOR HE IS GOOD. HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER.

Amen. Amen. Amen.