A Psalm For Giving Thanks

Psalm 116:1-9

1I love the LORD because he hears

and answers my prayers.

2Because he bends down and listens,

I will pray as long as I have breath!

3Death had its hands around my throat;

the terrors of the grave overtook me.

I saw only trouble and sorrow.

4Then I called on the name of the LORD:

“Please, LORD, save me!”

5How kind the LORD is! How good he is!

So merciful, this God of ours!

6The LORD protects those of childlike faith;

I was facing death, and then he saved me.

7Now I can rest again,

for the LORD has been so good to me.

8He has saved me from death,

my eyes from tears,

my feet from stumbling.

9And so I walk in the LORD’s presence

as I live here on earth!

To the Jews of Jesus’ time, this was a psalm of thanksgiving to be sung at the Passover celebration. Coming after Psalms 114 and 115, which refer to deliverance from bondage in Egypt, this psalm reminds us that each of us is individually redeemed from bondage as well. In the early church it was used as a burial song, reminding mourners to look beyond death into a glorious life to come. In the Anglican prayer book this psalm is suggested as a psalm of thanksgiving after childbirth.

For every believer, this psalm serves as a reminder of the complete salvation we have in Jesus Christ. Spiritually, he has delivered our soul from eternal death. Emotionally, he puts a song in our heart and wipes away our tears. Physically, he strengthens us and keeps us from stumbling.

Genesis 21:14-20 tells the story of God’s loving care for Hagar and her son Ishmael. Alone in the desert, Hagar sobbed because her son was dying of thirst. God sent an angel, who directed her to a well of water. Then Scripture says: “God was with the boy as he grew up” (verse 20). God saved Hagar and Ishmael from death, he wiped away their tears, and he kept their feet from stumbling. Can you recall times when he has done the same for you?

I love the Lord; he bowed his ear,

And chased my grief away!

O let my heart no more despair,

While I have breath to pray.

ISAAC WATTS

A Word on Words

Verse 7 can be more literally rendered: “Return, O my soul, to your rest,” and the word rest is plural, indicating its thoroughness. Now that God has delivered him, the psalmist can truly sleep in peace, knowing that God will keep him safe.

Bible Networking

How does verse 1 differ from 1 John 4:19?