Read Psalm 116 at Bible Gateway.
1a) Psa 116:1-2, I love the Lord:
1 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;
1b) Psa 116:3-11, Plea to the Lord for deliverance:
1a) Psa 116:3, The pains of death surrounded me, and the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow;
1b) Psa 116:4, Then I called upon the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!”
1c) Psa 116:5, Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yes, our God is merciful;
central axis) Psa 116:6, The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me;
2c) Psa 116:7, Return to your rest, O my soul, For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you;
2b) Psa 116:8-9, You have delivered me:
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.
2a) Psa 116:10-11, I believed the worst of my situation and my enemies:
10 I believed, therefore I spoke, “I am greatly afflicted;”
11 I said in my haste, “All men are liars;”
2b) Psa 116:12-19a, Praise to the Lord for deliverance:
1a) Psa 116:12-14, I shall render to the Lord and pay my vows:
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;
1b) Psa 116:15, Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints;
1c) Psa 116:16a, O Lord, truly I am Your servant; {n}
2c) Psa 116:16b, I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
2b) Psa 116:16c, You have loosed my bonds;
2a) Psa 116:17-19a, I shall render to the Lord and pay my vows:
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;
19a In the courts of the Lord’s house, In the midst of you, O Jerusalem. {n}
2a) Psa 116:19b, Praise the Lord!
I believe the psalmist truly despaired of life because of the gravity and precariousness of his trials. But as he meditated on the steadfastness of the Lord as an anchor of help and hope when He is called upon by His servants, he realized that even if he were to die, it would not diminish the Lord’s help, because then he would be free from his bonds – his trials, whatever they were, would be over for him forever (2B pair). But then, as the Lord brought about his deliverance and his salvation, he realized that he had believed things were far worse than they really were (1B pair). Isn’t that usually the way of it! ♥
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