I Shall not Die but Live

Reprieve from a Death Sentence

“I will exalt You, LORD, for You rescued me.You refused to let my enemies triumph over me.O LORD my God, I cried to You for help,and You restored my health.You brought me up from the grave, O LORD.You kept me from falling into the pit of death (Sheol).”— Psalm 30:1–3 NLT

Something so bizarre happened to me recently that I couldn't help wondering whether God was trying to get my attention.

I had been trying to rescue a ginger street cat after noticing that something was seriously wrong with his mouth. He was drooling terribly and seemed to have difficulty eating. I knew he needed veterinary care.

With the help of Emanuel, an experienced cat trapper, we finally managed to catch him and bring him to the veterinary clinic. Emanuel was also transporting another street cat for someone else—a calico cat tucked away in another cage beneath a blanket.

I sat anxiously in the reception area waiting to hear what was wrong with my poor ginger cat.

Finally, the veterinarian came out with a compassionate expression on his face.

“I’m very sorry,” he told me. “It’s cancer of the mouth. It’s very severe and has already gone into the bones. We have to put the cat to sleep.”

My heart sank.

Even though he was “only” a street cat, I had been trying so hard to help him. I burst into tears.

The veterinarian kindly comforted me. He explained that bringing him in had still been an act of mercy. Instead of suffering and eventually dying alone on the streets, he could be released peacefully from his suffering—what we might call in Hebrew mitat chesed (מִיתַת חֶסֶד), a “mercy death.”

A few minutes later, they brought out the cage.

Inside was the ginger cat who appeared to be dead.

I stared at the cage thinking, What am I supposed to do with this dead cat?

The veterinarian told me, “You’re free to go. The municipality will take care of everything from here.”

“But I need my cage back,” I said.

He looked surprised.

“This is your cage?”

“Yes.”

Then suddenly something didn’t make sense.

“Wait a minute,” he said. “Didn't you bring in the calico cat?

"No! My cat is the ginger one!” I answered.

His expression changed.

“Oh!”

There had been a mix-up.

The cat who had received the terrible diagnosis wasn't my cat at all.

“My” ginger cat was still alive!

In fact, he was going to be fine. He had needed a couple of teeth extracted and some antibiotics, but there was no death sentence hanging over him.

I could hardly believe what I was hearing.

One moment I had been mourning his death. The next, I was being told:

He is alive. He is going home.

Sure enough, my little ginger street cat began waking up from the anesthesia, and I was eventually able to take him back home.

Baruch HaShem—thank God!

“You Kept Me From the Pit of Death”

The following morning, I opened my devotional reading and came to Psalm 30:

“O LORD my God, I cried to You for help, and You restored my health. You brought me up from the grave, O LORD. You kept me from falling into the pit of death (Sheol).”

After what had happened the night before, those words leapt off the page.

Recently I have experienced some troubling physical symptoms that have caused me to think more seriously about the brevity of life. At times I have wondered, Lord, is my time here on earth drawing to a close?

And that thought troubled me—not simply because I want to live, but because I still feel there is so much left to do.

There are people I still want to love and encourage. There is family I want to be there for. There are books I want to write, teachings I want to share, and Kingdom assignments I still long to fulfill.

So when I read these words from Psalm 30, they brought tremendous comfort to my heart.

I felt encouraged to pray and believe that my life is in God's hands and that I can continue crying out to Him for healing, strength, and more time to accomplish whatever He still has for me to do.

Hezekiah's Reprieve

I immediately thought of King Hezekiah.

The prophet Isaiah came to him with a devastating message:

“Thus says the LORD: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’”— Isaiah 38:1

That sounds pretty final!

But Hezekiah did not simply lie down and wait to die.

He turned his face toward the wall and prayed.

He wept before the Lord and pleaded for mercy.

And remarkably, before Isaiah had even left the palace, the word of the LORD came to him again:

“I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years.”— Isaiah 38:5

A reprieve from a death sentence.

God had heard his prayer and answered with mercy.

Cry Out to the Lord

Perhaps you are facing a frightening medical diagnosis or struggling with sickness, weakness, or discouragement.

Perhaps circumstances have whispered to you, It's over. There is no hope.

Don't give up. Our times are ultimately in the hands of God.

Cry out to Him: “Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed;Save me, and I shall be saved,For You are my praise.”— Jeremiah 17:14

We cannot presume to know exactly how God will answer every prayer. But we can bring our tears, our fears, our bodies, and our future before Him and ask boldly for His mercy.

Maybe, like Hezekiah, you need to turn your face toward the wall and pray again.

Maybe what appears to be a death sentence is not the final word.

And perhaps that little ginger street cat was a living parable for me—a reminder that what looks final to us may not be final at all.

As long as God gives us breath, there is still purpose.

There is still Kingdom work to do.

There are still people to love.

There is still a testimony to declare.

So today, let us join the psalmist and boldly proclaim:

“I shall not die, but live,And declare the works of the LORD.”— Psalm 118:17

Prayer

Abba Father, thank You that our lives and our times are in Your hands. When fear tells us that all hope is gone, help us to turn our faces toward You and cry out for mercy. Heal us, strengthen us, and preserve our lives according to Your will and purposes.

Deliver us from fear and from every assignment of death that is not from You. Give us the strength and the years we need to finish the work You have called us to do. May the days You give us be used to love You, serve others, and declare Your wonderful works. In the name of Yeshua HaMashiach, Amen.

📖 Additional Reading

• Isaiah 38:1–6 — Hezekiah cries out to God, and the Lord adds fifteen years to his life.

• Psalm 118:17–18 — “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.”

• Jeremiah 17:14 — “Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved.”