Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 116:1-4, 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 3The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish.
Verse 4Then I called on the name of the Lord: "O Lord, I pray, save my life!"
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
Verse 1 of the psalm especially grabbed my attention. “I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and my supplications.” God is attentive to our lives. The Bible describes this reality as Emmanuel – God with us. God hears us when we pray. God knows what our needs are. Gratitude doesn’t begin to describe how we feel. Verse 12 asks, “What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?” We can “do” many things. But I believe that remembering who we are as children of God is vitally important to the way that we think and act. When we remember who we are, we catch a glimpse of the way God sees the world around us. When we see the world as God sees it, then we catch a glimpse of the kingdom of God. That makes heaven even closer than we think.
Prayer
Gracious God, open our eyes to your presence and your kingdom. Help us to be the people you created us to be. Amen.
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