1 I love the Lord, because He hears
My voice, my supplications.
2 Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I shall call as long as I live.
3 The cords of death encompassed me
And the terrors of Sheol came upon me;
I found distress and sorrow.
4 Then I called upon the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, I beseech You, save my life!”
5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
Yes, our God is compassionate.
6 The Lord preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
7 Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
8 For You have rescued my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
My feet from stumbling.
9 I shall walk before the Lord
In the land of the living.
Yes, our God is compassionate.
6 The Lord preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
7 Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
8 For You have rescued my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
My feet from stumbling.
9 I shall walk before the Lord
In the land of the living.
Message: An Answered Prayer
Time: Based upon authorship and subject matter, Psalms cover a range of centuries. David is mentioned 73 times, Solomon 2, Moses 1, and 50 designate no specific person. It is believed they were compiled around 537 BC. The psalms deal with such subjects as God and His creation, war, worship, wisdom, sin and evil, judgment, justice, and the coming of the Messiah.
What the Lord is Saying:
First Glance
I love the Lord because He hears me; he hears my requests. He turns his ear toward me and I can then call on him as long as I live. Death surrounds me and the terror of hell comes upon me to the point that I find distress and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord saying, "Lord, save me, please save me." You are gracious; you give me what I do not deserve. You are righteous; your ways are pure and right. You are compassionate; you are there for me no matter my situation or my condition. You preserve me; I fall and am low and you save me. Therefore, I can rest again. I can rest because the Lord deals with me in a generous manner, lavishing gifts of grace and compassion on me. You have rescued me from death. You have rescued my eyes from tears and my feet from stumbling. I can now walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
That last line reminds me of the Bash-n-the-Code song sung by Rebecca Sparks called Land of the Living, their first release, back in 1986. "We walk before the Lord in the land of the living. Jesus is king in the land of the living." My guess is that refrain came from this text.
The idea is I can now walk in life, with people, freely, completely, because I have been delivered. I have been impacted by God's grace. I have been rescued from death, tears, and stumbling. I love the Lord.
Promise: Regular prayer is what is needed in my life as I need this reminder that I am delivered and forgiven and rescued.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the words from this Psalmist. Thank you for the reminder that You are near. You have rescued my soul from death, my ears from tears, my feet from stumbling. You have shown me grace and compassion. Thank you for listening to me and hearing my prayer.
