116:1 I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications.
116:2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I
live.
116:12 What shall I return to the LORD for all his bounty to me?
116:13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,
116:14 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones.
116:16 O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl.
You have loosed my bonds.
116:17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the LORD.
116:18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,
116:19 in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the
LORD!
i heard this read at a recent funeral of a man who died quite young. when he first
learned he was very ill, and had very little time left, he asked the Lord not for healing,
because he felt that he didn't "deserve" to be healed, but simply for more time
--- to get his affairs in order and repair relations within his family that he had
neglected. The Lord answered his prayer with two more years. he became a committed
christian and crammed more living into those two years than most people acheive in a
lifetime. he asked that this psalm be read at his funeral. he asked that those who came to
the funeral not ponder, " why did this man die?", but why he lived?" it was
an amazing time.
Some say this was the hymn that Jesus and his disciples sang before they went to the
Garden on the night he held the passover in the upper room. It is indeed a prayer/hymn
that recognize God's awareness of one's present situation. It is a hymn of great trust in
a God that is not to busy to listen to the crys of a trusted
follower/disciple/son/daughter
We out of our graditude for what God has done chose our response. We will take the cup
of salvation indicated that we will receive the cup of blessing that is no other than
Jesus Christ. We will keep our vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. We will
not let God down, but be his faithful witness by practice, example, and the giving in
return a fair portion of all that he has given us. Even beyond a tithe.
In the courts of his house, the court of the Gentile, the Court of Women, the Court of
Isreal. The lobby, the vestibue, the nave the santuary, the choir room. In the midst of
Jerusalem. In the midst of your city, town, state, home, workplace, etc.
There we will Praise the LORD! YES
rb
This is the passage I am going to focus on tomorrow. I figure folks have heard the road
to Emmaus many times already. And I have never understood why the lectionary starts
shooting in Acts readings before Pentecost.
How do we in the church handle answered prayers (as in this Psalm) versus prayers that
are not answered in ways we can either understand or don't like the answer. Those are my
thoughts as I consider Psalm 116 (which I plan to read in its entirety versus the
lectionary abbreviated version).
Chaplain Tom Paine USAF
h but isn't the test or proof of love when wants or needs are not met? That is why
scripture calls God's love steadfast. That is the love that took Jesus to Calvary. Isn't
that the love to which people of faith are called. Unfortunately, the psalmist here talks
of loving God when you've got what you want, or what you'll be contented with.
KK in Illinois
I love the Lord because he have heard my voice and my supplications...
Two days after the pain started I went to the public clinic near the apartment. However
the doctor could not understand my language. They gave me a hard time because I could not
bring a translator with me. But who could I bring to the doctor to describe the pain in
such a delicate part of my body? I can not bring one of my friends kids who knows English
because it was not appropiate. I just wanted some medicine but they did not understand...
Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live...
I did not have anyone to call. It was so embarrasing. I tried to tell my neighbor but
the first think she asked me was if I was having an affair with someone. I do not want to
explain my sexual life! I just want some medicine for the pain...
The snares of death encompassed me, the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered
distressed and anguish...
The pain became even worst, I could not sleep or stay sitting for too long... I just
wanted to cry and cry in my room but I could not cry too loud because I did not wanted the
other people who live here to know that I was sick. If they find out they could send me
out and then I would not have any place to live...
Then I called on the name of the Lord; "Oh Lord, I pray, save my life!"
My cousin came to visit me and found me very sick. I could not take it anymore I was so
scared I thought I was dying. But she knew the telephone number of a Latino pastor in the
neighborhood. "She will help you" she said. The pastor brought me to the clinic
right away and requested them to see me. She translated for me without asking embarrasing
questions. She paid for the medicine and brought me home. She wiped my tears, she sang for
me and prayed for my health...
Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful...
I am not sick anymore. Maybe what the woman said about God's love was right. I have
always believed in God. Since I was a child I was baptized in the church. But this is the
first time a pastor come to my house, the first time someone sings for me in my own
language...
I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people...
I can not wait to call my cousin to tell her what happenned. I already told everybody
in the house, even the three guys that only come to sleep in the living room at night.
Some believe it was the white doctors medicine, but some of us believed it was the prayer.
The truth is that no one had come to pray for any of us before...
O Jerusalem, Praise the Lord!
Latina
Latina,
We are incredibly blessed to have you share yourself with us. Thank you for your
stories, and your gentle insistance that the gospel be more than "correct
teachings."
Rick in Canada
Latina-
Found in your story the essence, the heart, of a soul which struggles against such weight
but doesn't lose heart and finds heself offering a song of thanksgiving..
grateful.......don
This week as I stood with a family in the Intensive Care Unit surrounding a loved one
while the medication that was keeping their loved one alive was turned off, I couldn't
help thinking of this passage. (The patient's body just could not absorb any oxygen and
the trauma was irreversible.)
My guess is that it is the saint and not the death that is precious to the Lord. What a
wonderful thought that we weren't the only ones keeping the death vigil. The Lord was
present and was waiting an watching as well. And the moment that we release the hand of
our loved ones, God is there to take the other hand and lead them home.
What could our response be to this holy precious moment? Precious Lord, take his hand,
lead him on, let him stand!
Grateful for His Amazing Grace, John near Pitts.
Thanks for your words of encouragement. Thanks for letting me share too. Sometimes it
takes time to find the courage to write in this forum, but your sweet words always make me
feel a lot better. Thanks.
Latina in VA
