Psalm 116:15-19 NKJV
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of His saints.
16 O Lord, truly I am Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the Lord.
18 I will pay my vows to the Lord
Now in the presence of all His people,
19 In the courts of the Lord’s house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
God does not treat the death of His people as ordinary. To Him, it is precious.
“Precious in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of His saints.
O Lord, truly I am Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
You have loosed my bonds.” (Ps 116:15-16)
The world tends to avoid the subject of death altogether—treating it as a failure, a tragedy, or something to fear. But the Lord, who knows the names of His people and numbers the hairs on their heads, does not flinch at death. He does not forget His saints when they fall asleep. Instead, He calls it precious.
That is not because death itself is beautiful. It’s not. Death is an enemy, the wages of sin, and a thief of breath and strength. But in Christ, death has lost its sting. The grave cannot hold the Lord’s redeemed. When a believer dies, it is not a defeat—it is a homecoming. The Shepherd who walked with them through every shadow now carries them through the valley and brings them to rest. The Lord sees the end of their earthly life as the beginning of their eternal joy.
That’s why the psalmist responds not with despair, but with thanksgiving. God had delivered him from bondage. He had heard his cries and saved his life. And even if death were still ahead, the psalmist’s heart was set on giving thanks in God’s house and calling on His name. His words echo into every sanctuary and every funeral service where God’s people gather: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”
The Lord Jesus Christ laid down His life and rose again, so that those who trust in Him might die in peace and rise in glory. Their lives are precious to Him. Their deaths are not forgotten. And their voices will join with all the redeemed in the courts of the Lord, forever. Let us pray: Lord, teach us to trust You in life and in death, and to give thanks in all things, knowing that we are Yours forever. Amen.