This week a dear brother went home to be with the Lord.  Though sudden to us, but not to the Lord.  Psalm 139 tells us how intimate the Lord is with each of us, there is not one detail He does not know.  When a Believer moves from the confines of his earthly temple, verse 16 is a comfort--not one moment before nor one moment after God’s appointed time.
“Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance;
 And in Thy book they we all written,
 The days that were ordained for me,
 When as yet there was not one of them.”  Psalm 139:16

In Psalm 116:5 we see that,
“Precious in the sight of the LORD 
 Is the death of His saints.”

The Believer’s life is the Lord’s whether we live or die:
“For if we live, we live to the Lord, or if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die; we are the Lord’s.”  Romans 14:8 

The Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5, ‘to be at home in the body is to be absent from the Lord and to absent from he body is to be at home with the Lord.’  There is not a stopping place in between as some would have us believe.  God’s word tells us,
“Therefore we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.”  Vs. 6
“We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.  Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent to be well pleasing to Him.”  Vs. 8-9
(Read 2 Corinthians 5:1-9 for God’s word to the Corinthians and to us in this matter.)

If there is anyone not sure of how intimate our mighty God is with us, just let the Holy Spirit speak Psalm 139:1-18 to your heart and embrace this grace of God.  

Thank you for this word of grace and comfort.  And thank you for Vs. 23-24 the freedom to come to You for reassurance!

Today as we worship together, let us sing praises to our glorious Savior Jesus!
“Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.
 Serve the LORD with gladness;
 Come before Him with joyful singing.
 Know that the LORD Himself is God’
 It is He who made us, and not we ourselves;
 We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
 Enter His gates with thanksgiving, 
 And His courts with praise.
 Give thanks to Him; Bless His name.
 For the LORD is good; His loving-kindness is everlasting,
 And His faithfulness to all generations.”  Psalm 100

Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord; blessed are they who trust in Him!  Amen