The Lord Rescued Me
Opening Prayer
“For You, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord” (8,9).
Read Psalms 116,117
1 I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came over me;
I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“Lord, save me!”
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
6 The Lord protects the unwary;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
7 Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.
8 For you, Lord, have delivered me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
9 that I may walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
10 I trusted in the Lord when I said,
“I am greatly afflicted”;
11 in my alarm I said,
“Everyone is a liar.”
12 What shall I return to the Lord
for all his goodness to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.
14 I will fulfill 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 servants.
16 Truly I am your servant, Lord;
I serve you just as my mother did;
you have freed me from my chains.
17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you
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 courts of the house of the Lord—
in your midst, Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord.
1 Praise the Lord, all you nations;
extol him, all you peoples.
2 For great is his love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Think of a time when you cried out for God’s help. How did he answer your prayer?The psalmist was in dire straits when he wrote Psalm 116 (3,8). It’s likely that he was severely ill and isolated (11). The psalm consists of looking back to the past (3,4,6,8–11), praising God in the present (1,5–7,15,16) and committing to follow God in the future (12–14,17–19).
What is the motive that runs through the psalmist’s attitude to the present and future? Notice the graphic description of his suffering (3,4,8). What does that mean for us when we pray during times of suffering? However isolated he felt (11), when God has heard his cry and rescued him (1,2), he returns to worship with God’s people and publicly gives thanks for God’s help (17–19). How might these verses encourage us?
Psalm 117 is the shortest psalm in the Bible. The people are praising God in worship. What reason do they give for their praise (2)? Without realizing it, their address to all nations and all peoples (1) was radical, looking forward to the day when “every nation, tribe, people and language” will praise God (Rev. 7:9).
Apply
If you are suffering presently, think about which verses in Psalm 116 strike you most. Write those words as your prayer.
Closing prayer
Pray for someone you know who is in difficulty. End your time of prayer using Psalm 117.
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