Downcast

This has been kind of a down week for me. I was saddened by the news of the death of a sweet girl I used to know. She died of breast cancer at age 36, leaving her husband and 2 little girls. Then I found out that another amazing couple I knew in college have separated/divorced, which just leaves me grappling with the fact that it really can happen to anyone and made me want to guard and cultivate my marriage like never before. And we were informed by one of our most faithful supporters that they were no longer able to give financially. In all, quite a discouraging week.

This morning before Rachel left for school, we read Psalm 116 (we started with Psalm 1 and have read a psalm every weekday morning before she leaves for school). Psalm 116:15 says "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." I love that verse. And it was timely that Psalm 116 is about the compassion of the Lord and how he hears us when we call to him. The psalmist talks about crying out to the Lord and the Lord heard him in his distress. It didn't say that the Lord made him happy or immediately took away his trouble, but that the Lord had heard him. The Lord protects us and is unending in his compassion. I needed that reminder.

I have been reading to Rachel in the evenings from Revelation. The other night we read in Chapter 4 the description of the throne of God and the 24 elders who fall down before him, laying their crowns before him saying, "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."

This morning after I pointed out Psalm 116:15 and we talked about how God sees Leslie's death as precious and valuable. I was able to remind Rachel, too, that the awesome thing for Leslie is that now she is in the presence of God and his throne and she understands him fully now in ways that we cannot. She is able to witness the sea of glass and able to join in with the 24 elders as they worship Him who is the holy and almighty God.