Psalm 44:25

Psalm 44:25

Brought down to the dust

It is from dust that we are born! “The Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7. When God made Adam there is every reason to believe that his existence on the newly formed earth would be timeless. But, as we all know, Adam and his wife sinned and so God passed judgement upon them. Listen to His words.

“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Genesis 3:19.

To be “brought down to the dust” is to return to the earth, in other words, to die or to be close to death.  The ancient church fathers invented Ash Wednesday, at the beginning of Lent, to remind us of our low estate and I think, in the Roman Catholic tradition, that ashes are handed to worshippers to remind them of this. 

Let us remember today, that if it were not for the mercy of God and the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, there would be no hope for us, our destiny would be the grave and the dust of the earth. Indeed, our mortal bodies will return to the ground, but our spirits will live and we will be granted resurrection bodies. That is the difference that Christ makes! Hallelujah!

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