Showing posts with label Psalm 116. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Psalm 116. Show all posts
Monday, March 4, 2024
Psalm Meditation 1238
¶Fourth Sunday in Lent
¶March 10, 2024
¶Psalm 116
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+116&version=NRSVUE
(NRSV)
¶In the midst of any traumatic experience we are drawn to pray for deliverance from it. We may pray for a particular type of deliverance, however, any kind will be okay. We may want to be lifted out of the experience by the scruff of our neck. Instead of that we may have a sense of peace wash over us that feels like deliverance even though we are still in the midst of the trauma. In whatever way God chooses to accomplish our deliverance we are grateful that God is at work in our lives through answered prayer.
¶The psalmist has been ill to the point of death and prays for deliverance. There has been a release from the illness and the psalmist is grateful for the renewal of health and wholeness. It may have taken some time to achieve the requested healing, to the point that the psalmist believes that those who said that God would bring healing are liars. And yet, the healing does come and the psalmist rejoices in it, and testifies to it in the gathering of God’s people.
¶God continually answers our prayers. It may not be the way we want them answered, perhaps not even in a way we can recognize immediately. God does answer. Like the psalmist, we may have made promises to God, ‘If you do this, I will do something in return.’ God perhaps appreciates the thought behind our deal making, however God does not act according to the size or elaborateness of our gifts. God acts out of love for us that knows no bounds.
¶March 4, 2024
¶LCM
Monday, January 11, 2021
Psalm Meditation 1074
Second Sunday After Epiphany
January 17, 2021
Psalm 116
1 I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications.
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, save my life!”
5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful.
6 The Lord protects 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 walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
10 I kept my faith, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”;
11 I said in my consternation, “Everyone is a liar.”
12 What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord,
14 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones.
16 O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!
(NRSV)
People who have been there for us in times of trial have a special place in our hearts for the rest of our lives. The one who offered that memorable word of encouragement, the one who stood up for us when it seemed no one else would, the one who showed up when no one else did, the one who treated us as if we mattered when we doubted that ourselves stand out among the memorable people in our lives. For the psalmist, and many of us, YHWH is chief among those who were supportive in times of trial.
This psalm goes through a list of ways in which God supported the psalmist in times of need, and the list of responses the psalmist plans to offer up to God in gratitude for all the help that came when it was most needed. The list of responses from the psalmist will take a lifetime to perform for the lifesaving acts of God in a moment of need. If the psalmist is like many of us the sense of gratitude will last a lifetime.
My own list of people for whom I am grateful includes folks who will never know how much their action touched my life. For them, it was a random act of kindness, for me, it was the right act at the right time offered for reasons of their own. Random acts of kindness are often generated by a sense of gratitude within the person offering the act. My guess is that after the psalmist performs the list of actions in the psalm a sense of generosity sprouted, grew and went beyond sacrifices to God and spread to touch others
January 11, 2021
LCM
Monday, April 10, 2017
Psalm Meditation 878
Easter
April 16, 2017
Psalm 116
1 I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications.
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, save my life!”
5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.
6 The LORD protects 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 walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
10 I kept my faith, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”;
11 I said in my consternation, “Everyone is a liar.”
12 What shall I return to the LORD for all his bounty to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,
14 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones.
16 O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the LORD.
18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
This psalm sounds as if it is made up of quid pro quo, tit for tat, statements—I love God because of all the great things that have happened to me. There is some of that. Because of who God is and who we are, our love for God is always a response to what God has done in our lives. Whatever we give to God is giving back, since all we have is a gift in the first place. Unlike some people who act in order to make people feel an obligation to them, God acts out of love for us and is deeply touched and gratified when we respond with love in return.
When we add a testimony in addition to our love God is doubly gratified. A testimony is given to those around us and serves to give them an example of how God has worked in our lives and a hint of how God is at work in their lives. God does not wait for an acknowledgment from us before acting in our lives. We receive because God loves us. I have heard people say that they will not give another gift to a particular someone until they get a ‘Thank you’ from them for the current gift. It makes some sense for us, however God continues to give to us whether we give thanks privately, publicly, or not at all. God loves us, simple as that.
The psalmist is filled with gratitude for this return to health and strength and sees it as a gift from the hand of God. As an expression of thanks the psalmist will participate in expanding circles of worship; in the family meal, in the public payment of privately made vows, and in the offering sacrifices and giving public, verbal thanks to God for all that has been received through a time of trial. The hope of the psalmist is that others will see and join in the thanksgiving to our God who loves us beyond measure.
April 10, 2017
LCM
Easter
April 16, 2017
Psalm 116
1 I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications.
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, save my life!”
5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.
6 The LORD protects 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 walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
10 I kept my faith, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”;
11 I said in my consternation, “Everyone is a liar.”
12 What shall I return to the LORD for all his bounty to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,
14 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones.
16 O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the LORD.
18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
This psalm sounds as if it is made up of quid pro quo, tit for tat, statements—I love God because of all the great things that have happened to me. There is some of that. Because of who God is and who we are, our love for God is always a response to what God has done in our lives. Whatever we give to God is giving back, since all we have is a gift in the first place. Unlike some people who act in order to make people feel an obligation to them, God acts out of love for us and is deeply touched and gratified when we respond with love in return.
When we add a testimony in addition to our love God is doubly gratified. A testimony is given to those around us and serves to give them an example of how God has worked in our lives and a hint of how God is at work in their lives. God does not wait for an acknowledgment from us before acting in our lives. We receive because God loves us. I have heard people say that they will not give another gift to a particular someone until they get a ‘Thank you’ from them for the current gift. It makes some sense for us, however God continues to give to us whether we give thanks privately, publicly, or not at all. God loves us, simple as that.
The psalmist is filled with gratitude for this return to health and strength and sees it as a gift from the hand of God. As an expression of thanks the psalmist will participate in expanding circles of worship; in the family meal, in the public payment of privately made vows, and in the offering sacrifices and giving public, verbal thanks to God for all that has been received through a time of trial. The hope of the psalmist is that others will see and join in the thanksgiving to our God who loves us beyond measure.
April 10, 2017
LCM
Monday, April 20, 2015
Psalm Meditation 775
Fourth Sunday of Easter
April 26, 2015
Psalm 116
1 I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications.
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, save my life!”
5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.
6 The LORD protects 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 walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
10 I kept my faith, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”;
11 I said in my consternation, “Everyone is a liar.”
12 What shall I return to the LORD for all his bounty to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,
14 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones.
16 O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the LORD.
18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
There are folks for whom faith is a quid pro quo (this for that) relationship with God. “As long as God gives me all that I need, want and ask for I will be faithful in return. I can even put up with an occasional miss on my wants but it can’t be a big one or I am out” These folks say and do all the right things to let us know that they are people of deep and abiding faith until something happens that is beyond their limit of acceptability. Once God has failed them in a big enough way they give no indication of ever having had any faith at all.
The psalmist, and countless others through the years, has been afflicted in a way that would make a person of quid pro quo faith dessert God. Folks like the psalmist remain faithful no matter what. They sense the abiding presence of God in the highest high and the lowest low of life and faith. Even when all is not well God is with us as a loving presence. Knowing that we are not alone in the best and worst of times makes things bearable. Knowing that God is with us in all times and places adds yet another dimension to our life in faith.
Those who look to God as a magical vending machine whose desire is to grant our every wish will soon find themselves disappointed by the activity of God in their lives. Those who see God as the one who loves us beyond measure and without condition will be in an ever deepening relationship with God. Along with the relationship with God, folks will find themselves in ever deepening relationships with folks who also look to God in love and awe. Those who see God as a source of loving presence will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.
April 20, 2015
LCM
Fourth Sunday of Easter
April 26, 2015
Psalm 116
1 I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications.
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, save my life!”
5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.
6 The LORD protects 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 walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
10 I kept my faith, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”;
11 I said in my consternation, “Everyone is a liar.”
12 What shall I return to the LORD for all his bounty to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,
14 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones.
16 O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the LORD.
18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
There are folks for whom faith is a quid pro quo (this for that) relationship with God. “As long as God gives me all that I need, want and ask for I will be faithful in return. I can even put up with an occasional miss on my wants but it can’t be a big one or I am out” These folks say and do all the right things to let us know that they are people of deep and abiding faith until something happens that is beyond their limit of acceptability. Once God has failed them in a big enough way they give no indication of ever having had any faith at all.
The psalmist, and countless others through the years, has been afflicted in a way that would make a person of quid pro quo faith dessert God. Folks like the psalmist remain faithful no matter what. They sense the abiding presence of God in the highest high and the lowest low of life and faith. Even when all is not well God is with us as a loving presence. Knowing that we are not alone in the best and worst of times makes things bearable. Knowing that God is with us in all times and places adds yet another dimension to our life in faith.
Those who look to God as a magical vending machine whose desire is to grant our every wish will soon find themselves disappointed by the activity of God in their lives. Those who see God as the one who loves us beyond measure and without condition will be in an ever deepening relationship with God. Along with the relationship with God, folks will find themselves in ever deepening relationships with folks who also look to God in love and awe. Those who see God as a source of loving presence will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.
April 20, 2015
LCM
Monday, February 4, 2013
Psalm Meditation 660
Transfiguration
February 10, 2013
Psalm 116
1 I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications.
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, save my life!"
5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.
6 The LORD protects 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 walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
10 I kept my faith, even when I said, "I am greatly afflicted";
11 I said in my consternation, "Everyone is a liar."
12 What shall I return to the LORD for all his bounty to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,
14 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones.
16 O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the LORD.
18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
When a group of people go through a mountaintop experience together, someone in the group is likely to voice what others are thinking when they say, “I wish this could last forever.” The difficulty is that we are not built to sustain the rush of a mountaintop experience any more than we are able to live our lives suspended at any given point. We are conditioned for the roller coaster ride that is life and living.
The psalmist is coming out of a valley experience. Life was horrible for a stretch of time and now there is a deliverance from that horror. After this bad experience the soul of the psalmist is able to return to rest. We go from normal to valley or peak and settle back to normal again. After each of those peak or valley experiences, after each combination of valley and peak swings we fall back into a normal routine. The routine will likely be different than the one we experienced previously, however we will fall into a routine of some sort. The soul will find rest in some way.
As we settle into new routine we can be aware of the new habits as we make them. We can decide to join the psalmist in lifting the cup of salvation, in calling on the name of the LORD in some form. We can join together with folks who will support us and hold us up in our newly made choices and habits. The highs and lows of life do not last forever. Things change and we adapt to those changes in our lives. At our best, we find a way to look to God in all times and places.
February 4, 2013
LCM manifold@lightbound.com
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Transfiguration
February 10, 2013
Psalm 116
1 I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications.
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, save my life!"
5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.
6 The LORD protects 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 walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
10 I kept my faith, even when I said, "I am greatly afflicted";
11 I said in my consternation, "Everyone is a liar."
12 What shall I return to the LORD for all his bounty to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,
14 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones.
16 O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the LORD.
18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
When a group of people go through a mountaintop experience together, someone in the group is likely to voice what others are thinking when they say, “I wish this could last forever.” The difficulty is that we are not built to sustain the rush of a mountaintop experience any more than we are able to live our lives suspended at any given point. We are conditioned for the roller coaster ride that is life and living.
The psalmist is coming out of a valley experience. Life was horrible for a stretch of time and now there is a deliverance from that horror. After this bad experience the soul of the psalmist is able to return to rest. We go from normal to valley or peak and settle back to normal again. After each of those peak or valley experiences, after each combination of valley and peak swings we fall back into a normal routine. The routine will likely be different than the one we experienced previously, however we will fall into a routine of some sort. The soul will find rest in some way.
As we settle into new routine we can be aware of the new habits as we make them. We can decide to join the psalmist in lifting the cup of salvation, in calling on the name of the LORD in some form. We can join together with folks who will support us and hold us up in our newly made choices and habits. The highs and lows of life do not last forever. Things change and we adapt to those changes in our lives. At our best, we find a way to look to God in all times and places.
February 4, 2013
LCM manifold@lightbound.com
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
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