Psalm 118 Death

Do you respond to the idea of death, with resistance or acceptance? The dramatic stories of the holy week in the Jewish and Christian traditions remind us that we must be willing to face death directly in order experience salvation. Are you in tune with the small deaths that you are confronted with daily? As spiritual seekers, we must die day-by-day to our attachments to the world.

We would never dream of tying ourselves to an out of control vehicle, unless we wanted to experience some sort of pain. This is the exact same effect of tying ourselves to external or material things that are in constant chaos. We suffer extreme pain. In our distress we can call on the Lord and place all of our cares into God’s hands. Then we can certain of being safe and secure (set in a broad place). We no longer need to struggle to suppress our unwanted thoughts and feelings, if we take refuge in the Lord.

The creative power of God (right hand) raises us up and out of the confusion of our physical and mental fixations. If we open our hearts and minds, Spirit can show us the straight and narrow path (open to me the gates of righteousness). This is the way to our inner Christ. Only when we surrender our lives to God can we enter into our spiritual domain. It is important to give thanks for each step along the spiritual journey, because thanksgiving makes our experiences more fruitful. As we make this shift, we reclaim our spiritual inheritance of abundance, health and happiness (salvation).

And so it is! Amen!