July 23rdPsalm 116
The Cup of Salvation
I know that God is here.
I know this because,
my soul bare and body naked before God,
He looked upon me with love and
responded to my cry for help.
There was a time when I didn’t care!
I was not aware of any particular need for God.
But then I hit bottom.
Death itself reached out to embrace me.
There was no one else to turn to.
I cried out to God in my desperation.
I could almost feel God’s invisible hand encircle me
and draw me to himself.
Now I am convinced.
God is here and I shall trust Him forever.
I will no longer wait for pain or suffering
to drive me to God.
I will walk in God’s course for my life.
I am committed to God’s purposes,
and I intend to carry out that commitment.
I can never repay God for His ever-present love.
I can only dedicate my life to praising Him
and to serving Him wherever I may be.
I am God’s servant and God’s child;
I shall love God forever.
I shall proclaim to all the world, ‘God is in our midst!’
[Leslie Brandt – Psalms Now]
This psalm gives expression to the deepest concerns of every believer’s heart: Does God hear me when I pray, and do my prayers move God to act on my behalf?
The answer is a resounding yes! This is an exuberant song of thanksgiving. It is clear that the prayer for help has been answered. The psalmist can now look back on the former threat, celebrate God’s goodness and the deliverance God has effected, profess devotion to God and make a public response of gratitude in the Temple.
The is prayer teaches us several important truths:
- The psalm can be divided into three parts: 1-7, 8-14, and 15-19. Each section looks back to the former distress (note ‘death’ is mentioned in each section), and each section concludes with the psalmist’s promise to respond gratefully to God.
- Note the relationship between God and the psalmist is personal, engaging the senses. The one in distress calls out to be heard, God’s ear is inclined, the petitioner’s feet are kept from stumbling, and tears are wiped away. God is tender and nurturing (v.1,2,8).
- The suffering may be physical illness; it may be ‘soul-suffering’ at the hands of tormentors who mock the psalmist’s faith or spread malicious gossip.
- The emphasis here is on the testimony of the witness, not the details of the suffering. Praise is more than an inner experience or feeling; it is a public response that is practiced before others (v.13-14,18).
- The apostle Paul quotes vs.10 in 2 Cor. 4.10-14.
10 We always carry Jesus’ death around in our bodies so that Jesus’ life can also be seen in our bodies. 11 We who are alive are always being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake so that Jesus’ life can also be seen in our bodies that are dying. 12 So death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
13 We have the same faithful spirit as what is written in scripture: I had faith, and so I spoke. We also have faith, and so we also speak. 14 We do this because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus, and he will bring us into his presence along with you.
In the Lectionary this psalm is read on Maundy Thursday. It reminds us that in the hours before he died, Jesus performed an act of humble service to his disciples, washing their feet and giving them the commandment to ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’
In a society that encourages us to be self-serving and all-deserving, gratitude and servanthood will take lots of practice. Like the ancient Jewish thanksgiving sacrifice, our practice involves a communal meal that we sometimes call the Lord’s Supper or eucharist (=thanksgiving). Jesus told us to do it, and he is the host. Because no one deserves to be at Jesus’ table, all are welcome. This is pure grace, and to accept the invitation is an opportunity to practice true gratitude.