I love the Lord, because He has heard My voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.

The pains of death surrounded me, and the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!”

Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yes, our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me. Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord In the land of the living. I believed, therefore I spoke, “I am greatly afflicted.” I said in my haste, “All men are liars.”

What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me? I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows to the Lord now in the presence of all His people. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. O Lord, truly I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have loosed my bonds. I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving and will call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows to the Lord now in the presence of all His people, in the courts of the Lord’s house, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 116)

I Love The Lord Because

The writer of Psalm 116 is unknown, but his language is well known. Love is a profound expression of the heart when it comes to God. His love for the Lord was not a shallow experience of casual love but a life filled with trials and troubles in the battle with sin and the victory found in the house of the Lord.

Life for the man of God was not easy. Whatever pains surrounded him seemed insurmountable. He had trouble and sorrow. The trials he faced brought him low in spirit. Afflictions overwhelmed him on every side. Death seemed near and very real. His faith was shaken. Tears filled his face with grief. His feet almost stumbled.

Through the gloom of life’s tragedy and trials, the psalmist saw the light of God and trusted in the word of the Lord. In his trial, he had called out to his Savior to hear his pleas and listen to his prayers. His faith was challenged, but he did not waver from trusting the Lord would see him through his trial. In his great affliction, he believed in the word of the Lord.

Friends often mistake the trials of life as punishment. Like the friends of Job, the psalmist was beset with men who accused him. They forsook him in his hour of need. Man’s wisdom did not bring comfort, and the psalmist saw men for what they were. His trust was in the Lord. He knew salvation could only come from the Lord.

Death was ever near the man. He cried out in his suffering with supplications to God. Death was wrapping its arms around the man as the trials of life engulfed him. Facing certain death, the psalmist sought the protection of the Lord to save me. He was in distress. Crying out to the Lord to hear his petitions, the psalmist begged the Lord to deliver him.

Joy is found in salvation. The trials of life produce patience to abide in the presence of the Lord. Through the power of prayer, the man found deliverance but the gracious hand of the Lord. He was delivered from certain death. His joy was found in the righteousness of God and His mercy to save him. He was humbled and brought low by the experience and then found joy in his deliverance by God’s hand.

Faith is understood by the actions of a heart touched by the grace of God. Seeing the divine providence of the Lord in his life, the psalmist declares his faithfulness to God. He will walk before the Lord with a heart of full obedience. His life will testify to the glory of God’s grace to save him. He will offer sacrifices of praise to the Lord in the house of God.

Worship is the soothing ointment of a soul cleansed by the gracious hand of a loving Father. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. He was saved from death, but he knew the joy of dying. That day would come, and he was prepared. Understanding the frailty of life, the certainty of death, and the victory found for the saints of God, the psalmist extols his love for the Lord.

The psalmist was saved from the troubles and sorrows of life. God gave him victory. He would serve the Lord in faithfulness, calling upon the name of the Lord. His life would be filled with the experience of facing death and finding victory in God to overcome his fears. And that is why he begins his psalm, “I love the Lord, because …” Why do you love the Lord? What psalm can I write to declare what God has done for me and why I love the Lord with all my heart?