November 9, 2024 Daily Dose of Discernment

"I raised my voice from the grave; from the gates of Sheol I cried for help. Lord, you are my savior! Then the Lord heard my voice. He saved me from every evil and preserved me." (Sirach 51:9-12)

It is not an uncommon belief among Christians that death is man's deadline to get right with God. After that, it's too late; his eternal fate is sealed. If that fate is hell, God cannot overturn it. However, in the text above, the author of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) testifies to the opposite. So does Jonah who points out that he cried for help from the belly of the underworld and the Lord heard his voice. And David as well, who says God delivers and brings him up from the depths of the earth, the sea, and Sheol.

We should listen to Paul who enumerates things that cannot separate us from the infinite mercy and love of God. He deliberately puts death first on that list because it is man's greatest fear, and therefore God's ultimate enemy, but which is no match for Him. So whatever we're facing - be it poverty, sickness, injustice, oppression, or even our own sin - is even less of a barrier and easier for God to save us from. It may cause us pain and set us back for a moment, but it surely cannot get in the way of God's love and eventual plan for us which is fullness of life.