I love the Lord, because he hath heard My voice

Psalm 116

Psalm 116 (KJV 1900)

1 I love the Lord, because he hath heard My voice and my supplications.

2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, Therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.

3 The sorrows of death compassed me, And the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.

4 Then called I upon the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.

5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yea, our God is merciful.

6 The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.

7 Return unto thy rest, O my soul; For the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.

8 For thou hast delivered my soul from death, Mine 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 have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:

11 I said in my haste, All men are liars.

12 What shall I render unto the Lord For all his benefits toward me?

13 I will take the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the Lord.

14 I will pay my vows unto 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 thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: Thou hast loosed my bonds.

17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the Lord.

18 I will pay my vows unto the Lord Now in the presence of all his people,

19 In the courts of the Lord’s house, In the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the Lord.

Service Notes

Start service with a reading of Psalm 116

Ask how would you finish this thought.. “I love the Lord, because..” I will give you the opportunity to answer shortly.

Starting with the missionaries tonight.

Introduction

“Whatever the local circumstances which gave rise to this song, it is evident that all its rich meaning was fulfilled, when in the midst of that little company of perplexed souls, the shadows of the One Death already on Him, Jesus sang this song of prophetic triumph over the sharpness of the hour of passion to which He was passing. He has made it over to all His own as their triumph song over death.” - G Campbell Morgan

How do we reconcile these two moments?

Resigned to be content.

Prayer of Jesus Matthew 26:39 “39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”

Prayer of Paul 2 Cor 12:8 “8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.”

Requests of the heart given in prayer

Mark 11:24 “24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

What are our options?

Let them cancel each other out. Never ask anything in prayer but resigned to be content with what comes our way.

We are to recognize the differing situations by faith, and we are to resign ourselves by faith, and we are to risk by faith.

Every area of our life should be brought to the Lord. It is in prayer that God will give you the peace needed when he calls upon you to resign yourself to something in life that He is not choosing to change.

Remembered Deliverance

Psalm 116:1-2 “1 I love the Lord, because he hath heard My voice and my supplications. 2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, Therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.”

It is one of the weapons of spiritual warfare that the Lord has placed in your hand – remembered deliverance.

Has the Lord ever given you an answer to prayer that was life-altering that you couldn’t resist responding to Him in praise? Experience on 285

There are a thousand different ways that that can happen, but we do not know the situation that the psalmist is in.

The psalmist literally feels himself in the grip of death. Psalm 116:3 “3 The sorrows of death compassed me, And the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.”

Could be an illness or some difficult circumstance in life. Psalm 116:10-11 “10 I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted: 11 I said in my haste, All men are liars.”

However this was being felt it will be felt by Christ

Many centuries later Peter used the phrase the pains of death to describe the peril from which God the Father delivered Jesus Christ through His resurrection Acts 2:24 “24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.”

He remembers God has done a work in his life and he makes a resolution.

David call for help. Psalm 116:4 “4 Then called I upon the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.”

Delivered straight to God: O LORD.

 Deeply felt: I beseech thee.

Directly stating the need: Deliver my soul.

“This form of petition is short, comprehensive, to the point, humble, and earnest. It were well if all our prayers were moulded upon this model; perhaps they would be if we were in similar circumstances to those of the Psalmist, for real trouble produces real prayer.” (Spurgeon)

You may say I have never really been through anything.

It is very likely you are not leaving in a perfect bubble but you are living naive.

If you want to learn to pray and do not have anything to take to the Lord I would encourage you to learn to carry the burdens of others.

Resolution: To love and prayer.

Psalm 116:1-2 “1 I love the Lord, because he hath heard My voice and my supplications. 2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, Therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.”

Answered prayer should lead to more prayer.

As long as you live.

Response of Gratitude

Psalm 116:5-6 “5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yea, our God is merciful. 6 The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.”

God's answer to prayer leads him to think about three things

God's graciousness

God's righteousness

God's mercy

Isn’t wonderful when you give a gift and your kids embrace you and not the gift.

Rest comes to the Simple

Recognize our simpleness

Psalm 116:6 “6 The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.”

David includes himself among the simple.

This whole experience has humbled the psalmist.

The psalmist has been humbled because he realizes how limited he is, how his life hangs in the balance, and he's entirely dependent upon God.

Amazing David would see himself as simple, even more amazing God has time for us; the simple.

Rest

Psalm 116:7 “7 Return unto thy rest, O my soul; For the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.”

What a prayer, before going to be at night!

Whenever a child of God loses his peace of mind, we should be concerned to find it again, not by seeking it in the world or in our own ability, but in the Lord alone.

Rest is available, we should never settle for less.

Thank God for His Work

Psalm 116:8 “8 For thou hast delivered my soul from death, Mine eyes from tears, And my feet from falling.”

A cry of a small, but real faith

Determined to live before the Lord. Psalm 116:9 “9 I will walk before the Lord In the land of the living.”

Psalm 116:10 “10 I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:”

Paul took this line (I believed, therefore I spoken) and applied the principle to his own times of trusting God and speaking from the experience of that trust, even in trying times 2 Cor 4:13-14 “13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; 14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.”

Prayer is an act of faith.

You do not cry out to a God you do not believe is listening.

Could not turn to any friends. Psalm 116:11 “11 I said in my haste, All men are liars.”

Rendered Praise

The psalmist wisely considered why God had been so good to him instead of why he had problems at all.

Psalm 116:12 What shall I render unto the Lord For all his benefits toward me?

What shall I render to my God For all His kindness shown? My feet shall visit Thine abode, My songs address Thy throne.

- Isaac Watts

Take the cup

Psalm 116:13 “13 I will take the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the Lord.”

“It is a profound insight: The only way we can repay God from whom everything comes is by taking even more from him.” (Boice)

Significant that Jesus very likely was sinigng this Psalm on the night of His betrayal. Luke 22:20 “20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”

Praise God before others

Psalm 116:14 “14 I will pay my vows unto the Lord Now in the presence of all his people.”

People often speak of their faith as if it is a private matter.

If matters if you are willing to share it publicly.

Reality of Life

Death is Certain

Psalm 116:15 “15 Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of his saints.”

May not die today, but I will die.

Though death is a curse and an enemy, it is still precious because it removes the remaining barriers between God and His saints.

Think about this in light of Jesus singing as He would soon die. Think of how precious that death is to us all.

David was God’s Servant

Psalm 116:16 “16 O Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: Thou hast loosed my bonds.”

Reminds us a story in Exodus 21:5-6 “5 And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: 6 Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.”

God had rights to him sense birth.

What type of service will this servant do? Psalm 116:17 “17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the Lord.”

David will praise the Lord

Psalm 116:18 “18 I will pay my vows unto the Lord Now in the presence of all his people,”

David apparently made a vow in the midst of his troubles.

It appears that it was related to giving praise unto the Lord.

Psalm 116:19 “19 In the courts of the Lord’s house, In the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the Lord.”

Praise the Lord - Hallelujah, both as a declaration of personal praise and a call to God’s people to join with the proclamation.