“I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?” (Ps. 56:4).
Dear Jesus, the battle for our heart’s trust is unrelenting—especially during seasons of vulnerability and volatility. On this Memorial Day, we affirm that you, alone, are worthy of our complete love, dependence, and worship.
For starters, David’s question confuses, intrigues—even invites us. “What can mere mortals do” to us? Well, it depends on our grace-math right? What do we really value in life? What do we really want?
Jesus, if you are our life, and death is now a gain, mere people can’t really do a whole lot, right? Embarrass us, really hurt us—in multiple ways, deeply disappoint us, frustrate the heck out of us, and indeed, kill us.
So, Jesus, free us to know you so well, to trust you so deeply, to have such peace from your sovereign rule and our “in-Christ-ness”—that this is our primary question and answer for the rest of our lives:
- “What is your only comfort in life and in death?”
- “That I am not my own, but belong— body and soul, in life and in death— to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to Him, Christ, by His Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for Him.” So VERY Amen.
(The first question and answer from the Heidelberg Catechism)