Pastor Deborah
Psalm 116 has much in common with other thanksgiving Psalms,
but it also has an element that’s a bit unusual:
the Psalmist identifies the specific reason for his thanksgiving.
He was near death, he cried out to the Lord for rescue,
and the God of covenant mercy, grace, and blessing rescued him.
The Psalmist goes on to say that he will thank the Lord in worship. PSALMS 116:1-2 NKJV
I love the Lord, because He has heard My voice and
my supplications.
Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
How to know God loves us?
It is in His Word and then He sent Jesus to demonstrate His love for us.
PSALMS 116:3-4 NKJV
The pains of death surrounded me, And the pangs
of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow.
Then I called upon the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!”
PSALMS 116:5 NKJV
GRACIOUS is the Lord, and righteous;
Yes, our God is MERCIFUL (Racham)
The word gracious here refers to God’s merciful forgiveness, and the word righteous refers to His faithfulness—the fact that He keeps His word.
The word compassionate is the same word that’s used to describe the good Samaritan who cared for the man left for dead on the road. (Luke 10:30-37)
It’s the word Luke used to describe Jesus’ actions in the town of Nain, where a young man, the only son of a widow, had died.
Jesus felt compassion for the woman.
He stopped the funeral procession and put His hand on the young man’s coffin, making Himself ritually unclean.
He raised the young man from the dead and presented him to his mother. (Luke 7:11-17)
He has put compassion inside us in order for us to show the compassion to others.
When we have the love of Jesus, we won't think of miracles must happen.
JONAH 2:9 NKJV
But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving;
I will pay what I have vowed.
Salvation is of the Lord.”
It’s the word Luke used to describe Jesus’ actions in the town of Nain, where a young man, the only son of a widow, had died.
Jesus felt compassion for the woman.
He stopped the funeral procession and put His hand on the young man’s coffin, making Himself ritually unclean.
He raised the young man from the dead and presented him to his mother. (Luke 7:11-17)
PSALMS 116:5 TPT
He was so kind, so gracious to me.
Because of his passion toward me,
he made everything right and he restored me.
David expresses how kind and gracious God is to him.
PSALMS 116:6 NKJV
The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me.
PSALMS 116:6 TPT
So I’ve learned from my experience that God protects the vulnerable.
For I was broken and brought low, but he answered me and came to my rescue!
Loving people is putting yourself vulnerable.
Let your gates be continually open and don't let it shut at night.
We cannot love people by our own ability and effort.
We will give up in the end.
Serving in the ministry is not by our own strength but by His strength.
Humbling is a process we cannot escape if we want to serve the Lord.
If we can humble ourselves, God can promote us and bring us up.
PSALMS 116:7 NKJV
RETURN to your REST, O my soul,
For the Lord has dealt BOUNTIFULLY with you.
Adversity can be a friend.
H4494 rest
Original: מנוח
Transliteration: mânôach
Phonetic: maw-no'-akh
BDB Definition:
resting place, state or condition of rest, place
rest, repose, condition of rest
Strong's Definition: From H5117; quiet, that is, (concretely) a settled spot, or (figuratively) a home:- (place of) rest.
H1580 bountiful
Original: גּמל
Transliteration: GAMAL
Phonetic: gaw-mal',
to treat a person (well or ill), that is, benefit or requite;
to bear ripe (almonds)
to ripen, that is, to wean:- bestow on, deal bountifully,
do (good), recompense, requite, reward, ripen, + serve, wean, yield
God is dealing bountifully with us.
PSALMS 116:7 TPT
Now I can say to myself and to all,
“RELAX and REST, be confident and SERENE,
for THE LORD REWARDS FULLY those who simply TRUST in HIM.”
PSALMS 116:8 NKJV
For You have delivered -
my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
And my feet from falling.
PSALMS 116:8 TPT
God has rescued my soul from death’s fear and dried my eyes of many tears.
He’s kept my feet firmly on his PATH.
God never meant to hardened our hearts.
PSALMS 56:8 EASY
Every time that I am upset, you know about it.
Put all my tears in your bottle!
Yes, write down every tear in your book.
God understands our troubles.
PSALMS 56:9-13 EASY
When I call to you for help, my enemies will turn back.
I am sure of this: God is with me, to fight for me.
By God's help, I will praise his promise.
Yes, by the Lord's help, I will praise his word.
When God is for us, who can be against us?
God is with us and He has won the battle for us.
We need to know the Word of God, else we will drown in sorrows and bitterness.
PSALMS 56:9-13 EASY
I am not afraid, because I trust in God.
People can do nothing to hurt me.
I have made special promises to you, God,
and I will do what I have promised.
I will offer to you a sacrifice to say ‘thank you’.
You have saved my life from death.
You keep me safe so that I do not fall.
As a result, I will serve you, God, as you give me light to live here on earth.
He saved our life from eternal death.
Jesus dying on the cross gave us back our lives.
PSALMS 116:9 NKJV
I will walk before the Lord In the land of the living.
PSALMS 116:9 TPT
and strengthened me so that I may please him and walk before Yahweh in his fields of life.
Our gratitude for what He has done cause us wants to please Him and walk with Him.
PSALMS 116:10-11 NKJV
I BELIEVED, therefore I spoke, “I am greatly afflicted.”
I said in my haste, “All men are liars.”
H539
Original: אמן
Transliteration: 'âman
Phonetic: aw-man'
Strong's Definition:
to build up or support ;
to foster as a parent or nurse to render (or be) firm or faithful, to trust or believe,
to be permanent or quiet; morally to be true or certain; once (in Isa_30:21; by interchange for H541) to go to the right hand:-
hence assurance, believe, bring up, establish, + fail, be faithful (of long continuance, steadfast, sure, surely, trusty, verified), nurse, (-ing father), (put), trust, turn to the right.
A seed will grow.
When we believe God on what He said, we will see it happen. It will grow. The Word of God or financial seed that we sow, it will grow.
2 CORINTHIANS 1:20 EASY
CHRIST says ‘Yes’ to ALL of GOD'S PROMISES, so that they become TRUE.
So when we pray, we say ‘YES, AMEN!,’
because we know that CHRIST HAS DONE IT.
And when we do that, we are saying that God is great.
2 CORINTHIANS 1:20 TPT
For all of God’s promises find their “yes” of fulfillment in him.
And as HIS “yes” and OUR “amen” ascend to God, we bring him glory!
God gives us our heart desires.
Amen means "I receive", "I believe", "So be it".
When we want to receive healing, don't go to someone who doesn't believe in divine healing. Go to someone who believes God and will say "Amen".
God promises providence, provision and healing.
The more we hear, the more we know.
When we don't believe, we won't get it.
PSALMS 116:10-11 TPT
Even when it seems I’m surrounded by many liars and
my own fears, and though I’m hurting in my suffering
and trauma,
I still STAY FAITHFUL to GOD and SPEAK WORDS of FAITH.
Be faithful to God by speaking His Words; words of faith.
Without faith, it is impossible to please God.
It pleases God when we speak God's word in times of troubles and calamities.
PSALMS 116:12 NKJV
What shall I render to the Lord For all His benefits (act of grace) (gamal) toward me?
PSALMS 116:12 TPT
SO NOW, WHAT can I EVER GIVE BACK to GOD to REPAY HIM for the blessings he’s poured out on me?
When we want to give back to God, it cannot match back to what He has done for us.
PSALMS 116:13 NKJV
I will take up the CUP of SALVATION,
And CALL upon the NAME of the LORD.
PSALMS 116:13 TPT
I will LIFT UP HIS CUP of SALVATION and PRAISE HIM EXTRAVAGANTLY for all that HE’S done for me.
How do we repay God for what He has done for us?
Lift up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord.
Call upon His name.
Drink of His goodness.
God gave to us deliverance, salvation, peace, joy, life.
For us, if we want to thank Him, we receive it.
When we receive, we are able to give.
PSALMS 116:14 TPT
I will FULFILL the PROMISE I made to God in the presence of HIS GATHERED PEOPLE.
PSALMS 116:15 NKJV
PRECIOUS in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints.
The word precious here might also be translated costly.
It can even mean painfully grievous to the Lord.
In other words, the Lord knows when His people die.
It’s not a casual or trivial event, even for God.
The Psalmist himself found that out when he was at the doorstep of death and he cried to God—God cared about what was happening to him.
God cares for all of us.
PSALMS 116:16 NLT
O Lord, I am your servant; yes, I am your servant,
born into your household; you have freed me from my chains.
We are born into God's family.
We were never meant to be alone.
PSALMS 116:17 TPT
Now I’ll worship you passionately and BRING to YOU my SACRIFICE of PRAISE, drenched with THANKSGIVING!
Todah - Sacrifice of thanksgiving
Yadah - Raising up our hands to praise Him out of the gratitude from our hearts.
PSALMS 116:17 EASY
I will offer to you a special sacrifice to say ‘thank you’.
I will worship you as Lord.
PSALMS 116:18 NKJV
I will pay my vows to the Lord Now in the presence of all His people,
PSALMS 116:18 EASY
I will give to the Lord everything that I have promised.
I will do that when all his people meet together,
H7999 pay
Original: שׁלם
Transliteration: shâlam
Phonetic: shaw-lam'
-
to be in a covenant of peace, be at peace
When we give back to the Lord, we are in the covenant of peace.
In peace knowing that our Lord is our supplier and provider.
Tithing is a covenant between God and His children.
What Does All This Mean for You?
Though we can never pay God back for what He’s done for us, nonetheless we are obligated to live according to the new creation,
the new ethics:
PSALMS 116:18-19 NKJV
I shall pay my vows to the Lord,
Oh may it be in the presence of all His people.
In the courts of the Lord’s house, In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!
Live as a New Creation.
Renew our mind and grow in the Lord.
Not only was the Psalmist eager to worship God, he was eager to worship Him ALONG with OTHERS.
We are individual Christians, but we should never think that that’s where our Christian identity ends.
Nothing can stop a man and woman of God when their hearts are filled with gratitude.
Paul says we are individually members of one another in the body of Christ.
We are inextricably linked to all the rest of the fellowship.
Christianity has to be lived within the fellowship of a community of worship and service.
We cannot serve Christ fully unless we appreciate that we belong in a community of fellowship and worship.
2 CORINTHIANS 1:8 NKJV
For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren,
of our trouble which came to us in Asia:
that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength,
so that we despaired even of life.
2 CORINTHIANS 1:8-11 MSG
It was so bad we didn’t think we were going to make it.
We felt like we’d been sent to death row, that it was all over for us.
In times of adversity and troubles, we are forced to trust God.
As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened.
Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he’s the God who raises the dead!
And he did it, rescued us from certain doom.
And he’ll do it again, rescuing us as many times as we need rescuing.
You and your prayers are part of the rescue operation—I don’t want you in the dark about that either.
I can see your faces even now, lifted in praise for God’s deliverance of us, a rescue in which your prayers played such a crucial part.
2 CORINTHIANS 1:12-14 MSG
Now that the worst is over, we’re pleased we can report that
we’ve come out of this with conscience and FAITH INTACT,
and can face the world—and even more importantly,
face you with our heads held high.
But it wasn’t by any fancy footwork on our part.
It was GOD WHO KEPT US FOCUSED on HIM, UNCOMPROMISED.
PSALMS 116:7 TPT
Now I can say to myself and to all,
“RELAX and REST, be confident and SERENE,
for THE LORD REWARDS FULLY those who simply TRUST in HIM.”
What is more important is our faith in God is intact.
It is god who is faithful.
It is god who kept us focused.
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