Centennial family, I know many of you could not make it to Grace Wilson’s funeral today for multiple different reasons. I wanted to provide for you my homily transcript, that you might devote yourself to God through it, pray for Luther and his family, and glorify a God who provides and protects. Blessings today.
I was called to be the minister of Centennial ARP Church a little over three years ago. As is typical at most churches when viruses aren’t running rampant, at the conclusion of the service, I would greet people as they exited the church. I can still remember what Grace told me the first time we met, which was when her and Luther were exiting the church. She said, “Thank you so much for letting the Bible speak for itself—taking it verse by verse—and letting God show us what he has to say.”
That was the thing about Grace. She didn’t care about my age or my style. She cared about my content and my intent. Was I here to glorify God? Was I here to serve him and help others see and serve him, too? Fast forward to today. Luther asked me to take up Psalm 31, one of their favorite Psalms. In just a moment, I’m going to read this Psalm through. As I read, keep in mind this sentence: God is a provider and a protector deserving of praise. When I think of Grace, I think this sentence sums up her beliefs and where her hope was, even at the end. This is Psalm 31:
“In you, O LORD, do I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me!
Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily!
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me!
For you are my rock and my fortress;
and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me;
you take me out of the net they have hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.
I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols,
but I trust in the LORD.
I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love,
because you have seen my affliction;
you have known the distress of my soul,
and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
you have set my feet in a broad place.
Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;
my eye is wasted from grief;
my soul and my body also.
For my life is spent with sorrow,
and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my iniquity,
and my bones waste away.
Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach,
especially to my neighbors,
and an object of dread to my acquaintances;
those who see me in the street flee from me.
I have been forgotten like one who is dead;
I have become like a broken vessel.
For I hear the whispering of many—
terror on every side!—
pas they scheme together against me,
as they plot to take my life.
But I trust in you, O LORD;
I say, “You are my God.”
My times are in your hand;
rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!
Make your face shine on your servant;
save me in your steadfast love!
O LORD, let me not be put to shame,
for I call upon you;
let the wicked be put to shame;
let them go silently to Sheol.
Let the lying lips be mute,
which speak insolently against the righteous
in pride and contempt.
Oh, how abundant is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you
and worked for those who take refuge in you,
in the sight of the children of mankind!
In the cover of your presence you hide them
from the plots of men;
you store them in your shelter
from the strife of tongues.
Blessed be the LORD,
for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me
when I was in ca besieged city.
I had said in my alarm,
“I am cut off from your sight.”
But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy
when I cried to you for help.
Love the LORD, all you his saints!
The LORD preserves the faithful
but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.
Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the LORD!”
(Prayer accompanied the reading of Psalm 31 in it’s entirety. Would you consider doing these two things as well?)
Remember the first part of that sentence: God is a provider, and this Psalm shows God providing in some wonderfully beautiful ways. God provides deliverance and redemption. Time and time again, David calls out to God because David personally knew of God’s reputation to deliver and redeem his people. That’s because God is also a rescuer. God doesn’t just sit back and save us at the end, he rescues us in this life. If you knew Grace, you knew her life of testimony to God’s providing hand of rescue.
And it’s that same testimony that shows God to be trustworthy. This Psalm speaks so clearly on this fact: v. 14’s but I trust in you, O LORD, for instance, and it’s this very trust that set Grace apart. Even when she was distraught because Luther was in the hospital, because she was sick and weak, and because the virus was preventing her from being with Luther, she told me (that’s right, she told me!) that it would be okay—no matter the outcome—because of her trust in her God.
God is a provider for his people. He provides deliverance and redemption, rescue, unbreakable trust, justice, and steadfast love. All of that is seen in this Psalm, but it’s not the only thing there.
God is also a protector of his people. The language of this Psalm brings so many powerful images to mind of God’s protection of us. God is a rock: immovable, firmly planted, lasting, and all for his people. God is a fortress: enemies might come, storms might come, but we in the Lord sit in an unshakeable place. God is a path-forger: he leads, he guides, he clears, he smooths, and he removes any obstacle in our way. God is a shield: this life is like a hailstorm constantly beating down from above, but God our Father stands over us, takes the beating for us, and assures us of his shielding love. God is a bodyguard: he removes our enemies and he quiets our enemies through his own power and majesty, and when he doesn’t, it’s because he knows we will be okay. So even then, even in our distress, we can rest assured of God’s unfailing protection. And in all of this, he listens: this world really can give us a strong beating, but Grace knew who was always there and ready to listen—God himself. V. 22: you heard the voice of my pleas…
Let me finish with the last part of that sentence that I believe sums up this Psalm and Grace herself: God is a provider and a protector deserving of praise. God is deserving of praise. All these things would be enough for God to deserve praise, but Grace knew just like I know that there is even more in this Psalm. Consider v. 5: Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God. These are the words Jesus Christ said on the cross. He is fully God, who took on flesh. He lived a perfect life for his people, and he died a sacrificial death for them, too. He took all our sin, and he gave us his righteousness. This is the Gospel, and it’s the culmination of his provision and protection for us. He said those words on the cross, so we could say them, too. And it’s why we praise him so mightily.
Let me finish where this Psalm finishes, where we in this room find ourselves. V. 24: be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD! Grace is no longer waiting. She has gone to be with the Lord. But we are waiting, and I know that waiting can hurt. I know that waiting can burn. But be strong, and let your heart take courage, for God is a provider and a protector deserving of praise. Remember these things in the wait. Remember these things in the Lord Jesus Christ.