That is sure something to think about, isn’t it? How would it change your day today? Who would you want to talk to? What would you say to that person? Think about that for a minute. What would you do? Take some time to think about that too. What is left on your bucket list to do? My intention is not to ruin your day, but the fact of the matter is that none of us is guaranteed tomorrow. Monday morning I attended the funeral of a good friend who I was supposed to have breakfast with later this week. Our plan was to have breakfast, not attend his funeral. I can tell you of many other similar stories of people who were here one week and stepped into eternity the next. None of us is guaranteed tomorrow.
What prompted me to ask that question was a quote that I came across from Benjamin Franklin where he said: “Work as if you were to live a hundred years, pray as if you were to die tomorrow.” We do live and work every day as if tomorrow is a sure thing. We have our weeks planned. We have our weekends planned too. Many of you are already planning what you are going to do for Spring Break or for summer vacation. Some of you already have Christmas Break all planned out. Many of us work as if we will never retire, and many work with retirement marked on the calendar even though it is 10+ years away. You are committed to working hard and there is nothing wrong with planning, but I am sure that your plans would change immediately if you knew that tomorrow was your last day on this earth. If the doctor told you that you only had weeks, I am confident that your plans would change immediately. After all, that is the responsible thing to do for your family and loved ones, right?
How would you pray? What would you talk to God about? What is it that you would ask Him to do? Does it not make sense to talk to the One who gives you life and breath, and also the One who takes it away? How would you pray? Would there be any measure of earnestness behind that prayer? Would it include any confession? Is there anything that you would want to talk to God about? Would your prayer contain any thanksgiving? Would your words be filled with praise and adoration? Is there anyone who you would want to bring before the LORD in prayer? Is there anyone who you would ask, even beg God to invade their life and save them?
Psalm 34 gives us insight into the life of David when he was at his wits end. He was scared, fearful, and in trouble, but things changed when David prayed. Was trouble still present? Yes it was. Was he still tired? Yes he was, but listen to what he says:
I will extol the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt His name together. I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them. Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. Fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing. (Psalm 34:1-9)
“I will extol the LORD at all times.” All times? Really? “His praise will always be on my lips.” Always? Really? I hope that would be true of the person who knowingly is about to step into eternity tomorrow, but what about those of us who are left behind? What about those of us who will have to say good-bye to that loved one? Extoling and praise, at all times and always? David said that “…he sought the LORD and He answered him, and that He delivered him from all of his fears.” David did not try to make sense of what was happening. He did not run to his friends or even his family for comfort or answers. He sought the LORD. He tells us that he called and the LORD heard him. Not only did he He hear him, He also delivered him out of all his troubles. Does that mean that the trouble was gone? I don’t think so, but I think it does mean that God provided peace in the midst of the storm. He says that those who look to the LORD are radiant. David’s focus had been on all that was going on around him. King Saul was in pursuit of him and wanted him dead because of his jealousy that followed when David killed Goliath. The people of Gath, where Goliath was from, wanted him dead too. Achish, the king of Gath had David in captivity and David’s faith was failing. He acted like he was mad and crazy to the point that the king had him put out of his city and David ends up in the cave of Adullam in the country of Judea. It is here, secluded from everyone and possibly wanting to seclude himself from God as well that David remembers two things: God protects and God provides.
None of us know what tomorrow holds for us. Some of you may have been told that your time or the time of a loved one is short. Some of you might be facing a pretty difficult day today. It might not be life threatening, but it consumes you. Some of you might be charging into this day without a care in the world. Wherever you might find yourself, remember this: God protects and God provides. Knowing that truth, I would encourage you to pray as if you were to die tomorrow, because the One who hears your prayers is faithful and true. He will protect. He will provide. He will give peace. How do I know that? Because David goes on to say “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.” David experienced that first hand and I have too. If you are a child of God, you have too. Just remember. Take some time to reflect and remember. “Taste and see that the LORD is good.”
Have a great day and a better tomorrow knowing that “those who fear Him lack nothing.”