Psalm 49 – Death Is Powerless
But God will redeem me from the power of Sheol, for he will take me. (Psalm 49:15)
Death. Every single person must deal with the inevitability of dying. Why? Because each and every one of us has sinned and because of sin we are slaves to sin and the consequence of that is death. Some people try to avoid thinking about it, try to mask the inevitability of it by storing up riches for themselves, or even try to overcome it by leaving a legacy that lasts beyond their lifetime. But the reality is that even for the rich, “when he dies, he will take nothing at all.” As this verse 20 says, “Mankind, with his assets… is like animals that perish.”
If this life was all there was there would not be much hope. We would strive for things only to leave it behind. But the good news is that for those who put their trust in Jesus we know for certain that God will redeem us from the power of death. We know this because Jesus died, was buried, and rose again. So be hopeful. The worse thing that can happen is that you lose this life, but when you do you can be confident you’ll be raised to life in Christ. Death is powerless because of Jesus. So live free from the tiring pursuit of living your best life now. Live free from the thought of trying to preserve your life. Live in light of the eternal life you already possess.