“For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.” (Ps 48:14
AV)
According to the reading plan I am following, this
Psalm was written sometime around the reign of Hezekiah. This may not make sense. Hezekiah was a king of Judah and Benjamin who
was the most righteous of all kings since David himself. Under Hezekiah, Judah experienced the
greatest revival they would ever experience.
A complete rejection of all idol worship came to pass as well as a rededication
to Temple worship and the Passover. Yet,
in the back of their minds, they had the prophecy of Isaiah which foretold eventual
captivity into Babylon. Assyria was very
close to taking the north. Even though they
were going through one of the greatest of all revivals, the possibility of an
end loomed on the horizon. In a lot of
ways, the cycle of Israel mirrors the life of the new testament saint. We have our successes. We have many failures. But through it all the comfort we can take is
that God is always there.
I have many memories of days on the lake with my
father-in-law. He fancies himself as an
amateur fishing guide. Actually, he is
very good at it, so it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if one of these days he
guides for a hobby or living. I remember
a Saturday or two where we would be at the launch at first light. We would get the boat in the water, park the
truck, then set out for deeper water. We
were after lake trout, steelhead, or browns.
Finding our spot, we would set the downriggers and planer boards. Then the best part of all. Slowly trolling the lake while enjoying a
good cup of hot black coffee and the company of another whose heart was with
God. I can’t remember if we caught
anything worth bragging about, but I do remember the company. After a bit, we would bring in all the trout
equipment and change over to largemouth bass.
On one particular outing, after we had caught our fill of largemouth, he
took me over to to the other shore and a few miles north of where we had been
fishing. There was a small little diner
on the lake. We enjoyed a fresh-cooked lunch. Then it was time for the smallmouth. As the afternoon was stretching into the evening,
we decided we had had enough. Back to
the launch and on our way home. The
thing is, through all this excursion, Larry never jumped ship. He never left me alone to tend to the
boat. Which is a good thing. I don’t know anything about boats. He never left me to fend for myself when it
was time to work the downriggers or planer boards. I still don’t know how to work them. Being a guide is far more than being
there. It is knowing what to do when
something needs to be done. It means to
tend to the success of one’s charge. It
means meeting their needs, but also, being a companion.
The promise above isn’t something that we tend to
reject. At least right-out
rejection. We know the truth of the
promise. We are confident it will come
to pass. That which we have a problem
with is the details. Our future is
unpredictable. Our future is out of our
control. Even if we planned right and
were well disciplined in our youth, life can still throw a curveball. And it probably will. What encourages me is one little word
above. Unto. Not up until, but unto. This means, there is not a moment when the
LORD will not guide us all the way into eternity. Just like docking that boat. Just like getting home and pulling the drain
plugs, going into the house, cleaning our fish, and sitting down for supper, my
guide did was with me from the time the task started until the experience was
complete. God is the same. He will not abandon. He will not neglect. He will not reject. My God is always there and will be unto
death.
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