Psalm 116 (Listen)
116:1 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.”
12 What shall I render to the LORD
for all his benefits 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 saints.
16 O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.
You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving
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!
Devotional:
I love the Lord because he has heard my appeal for mercy. Because he has turned his ear to me, I will call out to him as long as I live. (Psalm 116:1-2)
I praise and thank the Lord because He hears our calls for help. Imagine worshiping something or someone that cannot hear you! Many people do just that. Our living God assures us that He hears us, and He responds. Whether in life or death, distress, anguish or affliction, He is ready, willing and able to care for us. The Psalmist pledges to call on God for the rest of his life. Who do you call upon?
Pray It: Father, thank you for always hearing my cries and my prayers. Help me to remember that you are hearing me even when I might doubt it, and help me not to be afraid or forget to cry out to you in my time of need. Amen.
Share It: Share a verse or thought from this passage with someone today.