Psalm 116

1 I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy.
2 Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!
3 Death wrapped its ropes around me; the terrors of the grave[a] overtook me. I saw only trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Please, Lord, save me!”
5 How kind the Lord is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours!
6 The Lord protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and he saved me.
7 Let my soul be at rest again, for the Lord has been good to me.
8 He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
9 And so I walk in the Lord’s presence as I live here on earth!
10 I believed in you, so I said, “I am deeply troubled, Lord.”
11 In my anxiety I cried out to you, “These people are all liars!”
12 What can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and praise the Lord’s name for saving me.
14 I will keep my promises to the Lord in the presence of all his people.
15 The Lord cares deeply when his loved ones die.
16 O Lord, I am your servant; yes, I am your servant, born into your household; you have freed me from my chains.
17 I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people—
19 in the house of the Lord in the heart of Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!

At first I was disappointed with the psalmist today: "I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy." That's a pretty self-centered way to describe a love relationship. Shouldn't I "love the Lord" simply because He is my Lord? Maybe…but it's more likely I love Him because He took care of my "sin problem".

Very unlike Elizabeth Barrett Browning. "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach while feeling out of sight." Now that is beautiful! Inexhaustible!

"But…will she make me breakfast every morning?"

Well, come to think of it…there is some truth to it. It's human nature to love those who love us. And, we tend to define that love by the things people do for us. On the contrary, we tend to define whether we love another by how we feel about them, not by what we do for them.

Interesting contradiction.

So…do we have a teaching moment? Is it honest, or fair, to hold you accountable for your actions in deciding whether you love me, but you simply need to trust that my heart is filled with love for you…regardless of my actions?

That was a rhetorical question…

Therefore, what do we see in the Psalmist that proved his Love for God?
"I will pray as long as I have breath"
"So, I walk in the Lord's presence"
"I will lift up the cup of salvation and praise the Lord's name for saving me"
"I will keep my promises to the Lord"
"I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving"

Our challenge today is to live in such a manner that we could anticipate hearing God say "I know Lee loves me because…" Take a look at how the psalmist's demonstrated his love for God. Perhaps something there can fit nicely into our own daily lives.

Live boldly out there today...