Laid to Rest

Psalm 116:7, 8 Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you. For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.

I think I may have officiated at almost a thousand funerals in my lifetime, most of them in Scotland because the pastor is the parish minister for a large geographical area, which contains thousands of people. I can remember some of them took place in the height of summer, with the purple hills, the emerald carpet of grass and the birds singing all around us as we laid the deceased to rest.

I can also recall some of the worst days in winter when a cold, biting wind and the relentless rain drenched all the mourners. It was almost as if the earth and sea were violently grieving the deceased.

No matter what kind of day or who was being laid to rest, I always used these verses from Psalm 116. They comforted the chief mourners and reassured everyone that God’s goodness, even in death, was always around us. Life is a beautiful gift, but even though it ends here on earth, it continues in God’s Kingdom. Christ has conquered that which we fear most and, if we are willing to place our souls into His Hands, we will experience that everlasting joy on our final day.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You have won the battle that we call death and cast it aside. You have given us the opportunity to share in your victory and to live in Your heavenly Kingdom forever. Help us to tell and express this to others, especially those who mourn their loved ones this week. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.