Instruction
Scripture: Psalm116:1-9
The first person singular, “I” in the first verse shows us
this was originally the worshipful thoughts of an individual, however those
words have guided God’s people in worship over the centuries, and they still do
today. These words call in the grateful joy of one who has been rescued to
declare love for the Lord, our rescuer. It was not merely trouble that the
author was saved from, but death itself. It goes on to describe God’s work and
then speaks directly to God (“You”) in verse 8-9 to tell what He has done. The
function of the passage is to guide us to express our love for God for the
salvation He has won for us in Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Teaching
God hears the prayers of His people and responds to them
because of His love for them. We see that love so clearly when He addresses our
greatest problem – death. Death is the proper reward for our sin and it comes
to us in two ways: the natural death where our hearts stop beating and state of
being dead in trespasses and sins. God rescued us from both by taking on human
flesh, being born, dying, and rising for us. That’s love! The one who has the
power and right to punish us for our sin instead delivers our souls, preserves
us, deals bountifully with us, and makes it possible for us to walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
Life
We will all die. That’s just a fact of life for sinful
people. The good news is that God loved each of us so much that when the snares
of death encompassed us He rescued us – and at great cost! How much do you have
to love someone to save them by dying for them? How do you respond to receiving
love like that? Does that not move us to call out, “I love the Lord!”? This is
always at the heart of our worship and prayer. God heard our voices and our
pleas for mercy, and He loved us so much He saved us, so we love Him in
response.
Prayer
This prayer is written
in the themes of Thanksgiving, Confession, and Petition.
O Lord, thank You for hearing our prayers and answering us.
Indeed, You have delivered our souls from sin and death, and we thank You that
we need not fear the grave because of Your salvation. We thank You for coming
to us when we were low and did not deserve Your mercy and saved us.
We love You, Lord, but we must confess that our love for You
pales in comparison to Your love for us. Although You have dealt bountifully
with us, we continue to sin and to put ourselves in places where our eyes must
have tears, our feet must stumble, and we walk as though we were not in Your
presence. Please forgive us and deliver our souls once again!
Lord God, You have saved us from the snares of death, but
there are yet many who are in its grasp. We ask that You would use us to bring
the message of Your salvation to them. Encourage us by the love we have for You
to speak of how gracious, righteous, and merciful You are, and help us live in
such a way that Your deliverance would be evident in our lives. And we pray
that You would keep us until that day when You finally fully deliver us in the
resurrection when we will walk before You in the land of the eternally living;
for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
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