Reading the Word

Psalm 116:1–11 (ESV)

¹ I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. ² Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. ³ The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. ⁴ Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!” ⁵ Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful. ⁶ The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. ⁷ Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. ⁸ For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling; ⁹ I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. ¹⁰ I believed, even when I spoke: “I am greatly afflicted”; ¹¹ I said in my alarm, “All mankind are liars.”

Understanding and Applying the Word

How do we respond when God delivers us? In this psalm, we read the words of one who is overflowing with thanksgiving to God. It is God who has responded to his cries for mercy. The psalmist was either close to death or was greatly troubled (cf. verses 3 and 8), but God showed his grace.

All who have trusted in Jesus Christ have a reason to rejoice and overflow with thanksgiving to God. It is by God’s grace towards us that we are saved from the penalty of our sin. Our sin condemns us, but through Christ we find forgiveness. We deserve death, but God graciously gives us life. He is a great God. Let us tell of his greatness!

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