"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints" (Psalm 116:15).
The Lord Jesus taught that not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, could fall to the ground without the Heavenly Father's notice (Matthew 10:29). We, however, have been redeemed not with perishable things, such as silver or gold (or copper pennies), but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19). This establishes that our value to the Lord is great indeed (e.g., Romans 8:32). If then, our lives are so precious to the Lord, indeed, our deaths are not trivial or inconsequential as the psalmist writes in Psalm 116:15.
Father God, we thank you that our lives have such value to you. Before we had value because you made us in your image, and because you mercifully set your love on us. Now that you've brought us into your family through Christ, we have value as your beloved sons and daughters. You have redeemed us for yourself and we are yours forever, your family forever.
Father, you know the pain of losing a child to death. Jesus, your one and only Son, died on the cross. You loved and still love him far beyond the human capacity to love. Your love for Jesus was and is so deep and so vast, it is beyond not only our capacity to love in the same manner, but even our capacity to fully understand. And yet, your Son died. On this side of the cross, though, we see that his death was part of your good and perfect plan. His death would bring millions to life. Your loss of one Son would grow your family by countless sons and daughters brought into your family by his sacrifice. Best of all, your beloved Son would not stay subject to death forever, but his death would be reversed; he would be raised from the dead and be alive forever and ever, now crowned with glory and honor as the hero of all of humanity.
When we think of Jesus' death, Father, it gives us peace thinking about our own. One day we will die. And though death is always tragic, our death won't be trivial. It will be a part of your good and perfect plan. And no matter how you choose to use our death in the world we'll leave behind, we know that like Jesus, we will one day be raised again to new life. Our lives aren't insignificant to you. You have a plan for us. An eternal plan for us. And for this we praise you. We praise for a thousand reasons besides, but today we stop to praise you for the gift of eternal life. In Jesus' name, amen.
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