Pslam 116

This psalm starts out with with five simple words - "I love the Lord because..." Do you spend time reflecting on the goodness of God? Do you spend significant time pondering all the reasons why you love God? I think sometimes we can get distracted...we can get caught up in the few bad things that are going on around us and forget about the overwhelming goodness of God. This psalmist takes the time to write out some of the reasons he loves God. You and I should do the same...

I love the Lord because...

He listens. (116:1)
He is gracious. (116:5)
He is righteous. (116:5)
He is my salvation. (116:6)
He is my deliverer. (116:8)
He is my guide. (116:8)

What does it mean?

Listens - He hears me when I cry out to Him. He knows the pleas of my heart before I can even utter them. He listens not only to my voice, but to my soul.
Gracious - He counters my rebellious sinfulness with undeserved forgiveness and love.
Righteous - He is right. He is perfection. He is the ideal that we must strive after though we will never attain it. His decisions are always correct. His judgment is flawless.
Salvation/Deliverer - There is no hope outside of God. Through his gracious love, He offers us salvation, so that we too may be righteous...not by our own power, but by through the sacrificial love of Christ.
Guide - His Word is the light we should live out lives by. His Spirit is the guiding force that enables us to experience true life. He is the solid foundation that we must anchor our lives to.

The psalmist closes out this psalm with a very important question. What should we do for the Lord after considering all that He has done for us? Do you ever ask yourself this question? Everything you are...everything you have..,everything that exists...exists only because the Lord God has created it and is holding it all together. How do we respond? (v.14) The only legitimate response is to make His name great wherever we go. We must be unashamed to proclaim His greatness before anyone at any time. That is what the Lord deserves from His children.