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| Cool Creek Park, Westfield, Indiana |
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.
3 The pains of death surrounded me,
And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;
I found trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called upon the name of the LORD:
"O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!"
5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
Yes, our God is merciful.
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 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.
10 I believed, therefore I spoke,
"I am greatly afflicted."
11 I said in my haste,
"All men are liars."
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.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD
Is the death of His saints.
16 O LORD, truly I am Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
You have loosed my bonds.
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,
19 In the courts of the LORD's house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 116:1-19, New King James Version
Two of my favorite singers, both of whom I know personally, have written and recorded songs based on this Psalm (Barry Kay, "I Love The Lord," from his "Beyond The Song" project, and Amy Shreve, "Psalm 116," which leads off her "Whisper" CD and is also on her compilation "The God of All Hope.")
This is an uplifting Psalm, but verse 15 is the one that stands out: "Precious in the sight of Yahweh is the death of His saints." I especially think of this verse in connection with ministries to the Persecuted Church like Voice of the Martyrs, Spirit of Martyrdom, and Vision Beyond Borders.
One thing I noticed is the repetition of the phrase "call on the LORD" or more frequently "call on the Name of the LORD." I read an excellent book on the Biblical Theology of Prayer titled Calling On The Name of the Lord by J. Gary Millar. He focuses on how men started calling on the name of the Lord after the birth of Adam's grandson Enosh (Gen. 4:26), and defines how this is throughout Scripture asking God to do what He promised.
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