Psalm 116

I love the LORD, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications.
2 Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
3 The pains of death surrounded me,
And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;
I found trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called upon the name of the LORD:
“O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!”

5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
Yes, our God is merciful.
6 The LORD preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
7 Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
8 For You have delivered my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
And my feet from falling.

9 I will walk before the LORD
In the land of the living.
10 I believed, therefore I spoke,
“I am greatly afflicted.”
11 I said in my haste,
“All men are liars.”
12 What shall I render to the LORD
For all His benefits toward me?

13 I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the LORD.
14 I will pay my vows to the LORD
Now in the presence of all His people.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD
Is the death of His saints.
16 O LORD, truly 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 will call upon the name of the LORD.
18 I will pay my vows to the LORD
Now in the presence of all His people,
19 In the courts of the LORD’s house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!

I was brought low, and He saved me.

Psalm 116

Anguish Remembered 116:1-4

Psalm 116:1-4

I love the LORD, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications.
2 Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
3 The pains of death surrounded me,
And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;
I found trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called upon the name of the LORD:
“O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!”

Remembered Mercy 116:5-11

Psalm 116:5-11

5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
Yes, our God is merciful.
6 The LORD preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
7 Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
8 For You have delivered my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
And my feet from falling.

9 I will walk before the LORD
In the land of the living.
10 I believed, therefore I spoke,
“I am greatly afflicted.”
11 I said in my haste,
“All men are liars.”

Fervent Gratitude 116:12-19

Psalm 116:12-19

12 What shall I render to the LORD
For all His benefits toward me?
13 I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the LORD.
14 I will pay my vows to the LORD
Now in the presence of all His people.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD
Is the death of His saints.

16 O LORD, truly 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 will call upon the name of the LORD.
18 I will pay my vows to the LORD
Now in the presence of all His people,
19 In the courts of the LORD’s house,

#1 Gratitude Is Necessary, Hopelessness is Not

#2 We Must See God’s Hand in Our Lives

ere are key New Testament passages about prayers being answered: Jesus’s direct promises:

Matthew 7:7-11 - “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened” Matthew 21:21-22 - Faith and prayer can move mountains; “whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it” Mark 11:24 - “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” John 14:13-14 - “Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” John 15:7 - “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” John 15:16 - “Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you” John 16:23-24 - “Whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you”

Apostolic teaching:

James 1:5-6 - Ask God for wisdom in faith without doubting James 5:16 - “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” 1 John 3:21-22 - “Whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments” 1 John 5:14-15 - Confidence that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us Philippians 4:6-7 - Present requests to God with thanksgiving

Parables on persistence:

Luke 11:5-13 - Parable of the friend at midnight Luke 18:1-8 - Parable of the persistent widow

#3 Rest in God