Psalm 116:1–2, 12–19 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 116:1–2, 12–19 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications.
Verse 2Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
Verse 12What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?
Verse 13I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord,
Verse 14I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.
Verse 15Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones.
Verse 16O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds.
Verse 17I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the Lord.
Verse 18I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people,
Verse 19in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!
Devotion
The Common English Version translation of the opening verses of this psalm of thanksgiving captures well the psalmist’s exclamation of affection for God. “I love you, Lord! You answered my prayers. You paid attention to me, and so I will pray to you as long as I live.” We don’t know the details for which the psalmist actually prays, but the psalmist feels entangled in the cords of death, “the distress of the grave found me—I came face-to-face with trouble and grief” (116:3 CEB)—and we hear the confidence of the psalmist in God’s listening ear. The Lord hears our cries—all of them, listening intently and carefully. The image here is of God bending down or leaning in, maybe to hear us better when those pleas are but a whisper of despair. On this Tuesday of Holy Week, we are assured that in anything which ensnares us in anguish and sorrow, God’s ear is near.
Prayer
Dear God, while there is so much in life that brings grief, that you hear our every cry gives such comfort and peace. Thank you, God, for always listening. Amen.
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