Psalm 116

•  "I love YHVH (the LORD) because...
  Psalm 116:1a
  
  When I over-viewed my Psalm Of The Day it seemed simple and straight forward. And it is. Simple, in the same way that a chocolate mousse is simple and yet, at the same time, rich and complex. It is written in three parts that easily blend into one, though they could all stand on their own (sounds just like the Christian concept of the Trinity)
  
  116:1-4 Call upon the Name of the LORD... save my life.
• Most of us came to Salvation because we came to a cross road in our life. We knew that we had to choose between life and death. We knew that if we chose life it was a package deal that involved our lifestyle and future choices, even if we were not clear on the details. All we may have known is that we had to have Jesus.
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• I remember as a young mother, the feeling of being unequipped for the job. Church seemed like something I should take my 18 month old son to (For his good... Praise God for the nursery lady!!!) That was where I first called on the Name of the LORD. Finding out that the Creator listens to my prayers amazed me, I am nobody in this world. How, you may wonder, do I know that God hears me? He answers my prayers! Hallelujah. Test Him on this for yourself. It starts with "save me!" 
• 116:5-11 "The LORD preserves the simple..." This verse seems to describe growing in grace. God is described as COMPASSIONATE, a verb translated from Hebrew that shows us that God loves deeply with mercy. Gracious and righteous are the adjectives that fine tune our understanding of the Almighty. Gracious means "shows favor" and Righteous is strict Torah observance. When we were saved we were set free from the penalty of Torah. The Way of Life is choosing The Way of the covenant of Life, not for Salvation, not even for righteousness. We have both of those in Jesus. The bottom line for me is that I want to walk as Jesus walked and he was faithful to Torah. In point of fact, He is the Word of God, which is Torah.

• "I shall walk before YHVH in the land of the living." 116:9

• "I believed when I said, I am greatly afflicted" 116:10

• How can I walk before Him (As ambassador, Ps 116:9) yet live any way I see fit at any given moment? Who am I representing? Do you find yourself bristling at the thought of being Torah observant? 

•  I said in my alarm, "All men are liars."  Psalm 116:11

Do you find yourself bristling at the thought of being Torah observant? I understand. Psalm 116:11
Go back and look at Psalm 116:5b

Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yes, our God is compassionate. 

This is not a salvation issue. Now go back to 116:2b

 Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live. 

Call on the Name of YHVH. Ask Him and no one else about this issue.

Psalm 116:12-19 seems to be all about the falk of faith, of being a woman (or man) for whom trust is no longer an idea or theory. It is simply something we do. We've learne d the secret of asking "in Jesus Name" --I shall lift up the cup of Y'shua Jesus) and call upon the Name of YHVH.

I shall lift up the cup of Salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD. Psalm 116:13

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father. "And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. John 14:12-15

We have come to know that The Way of Life is not easy but steep and narrow. We know the freedom of being a slave whose only bonds are the Lof of God through Y'shua (Jesus).

O LORD, surely I am Thy servant, I am Thy servant, the son of Thy handmaid, Thou hast loosed my bonds.  Psalm 116:16

We happily give Thanksgiving... in all things and for all things, remembering that we are part of a body of believers... The body of our own King Y'shua Jesus.
Hallelujah!

Debs in Everett, Washington
December 26, 2017