What does it say?
Psalm 86: David says that he is a godly man because he trust in the Lord; he calls upon his name for deliverance and believes that all nations should worship the Lord. God has delivered David from death; therefore, David desires to learn God’s ways. David prays to be delivered from violent men who do not set God before them.
Psalm 87: The Lord loves the city Zion; therefore, he counts the people born there separate than those born elsewhere.
Psalm 88: The psalmist is greatly afflicted and has been calling on the name of the Lord for help out of affliction. Will God preform wonders for the dead and will the dead rise and praise him? The psalmist asks the Lord for reason regarding his affliction.
Psalm 89: The psalmist vows to sing of the lovingkindness and faithfulness of God because of the Lord’s covenant with David. There is no being in all the universe that compares to the Lord, the heavens praise the wonders of the Lord. There is nothing in all of creation that does not belong to the Lord. It is God who put David on the throne and has given him power to rule and has promised to establish his thrown forever. God will punish David’s sons for violating the Lord’s statutes but God will not break off his lovingkindness, nor deal falsely in his faithfulness; the descendants and throne of David shall endure forever. It appears to the psalmist that God has cast away his covenant because his stronghold is in ruins. The psalmist believes that the life of a man is vanity because it is so brief. He asks. “Where is the lovingkindness and faithfulness of God that he promised David?” The psalmist concludes by praising the Lord.
What does it mean?
War, famine and disease seem to plague man all the day long. Men suffer and die all of the time. When a man grows old, he is forgotten about when he needs lovingkindness and faithfulness the most. Where is God and what is he doing? Has God forgotten about his promise? It is easy to become despondent during affliction and question the grace and faithfulness of God. However, we must continue to trust in the promise of God throughout our lives. May must continue to call on the name of the Lord our God to save us.
What shall I do?
As a Registered Nurse, especially in the intensive care unit, I see a great amount of loneliness, sorrow, suffering and death. Life is not like a Hallmark movie. There are no happy endings. People suffer at the end of life and then they die. I have pains now that I did not have as a young man. There are things that I enjoyed doing that I can no longer do. I know more than most men what the end of life looks like; therefore, I know what awaits me, if the Lord does not return during my life. However, I shall trust in the grace and faithfulness of God in Jesus Christ all of the days of my life. Jesus has promised to return and raise us from the dead.
