It may be difficult to imagine being the object of someone’s rescue….to be worthy of the effort and peril of rescue. Yet our God is waiting – waiting to hear the sound of our voice vulnerably calling out for help. At the end of our resources and unable to help ourselves…we cry out…and there is ONE who hears our cry and always responds in love.
This is a wonderful Psalm to pray with in community. Listen carefully to the stories of rescue offered by your community. The process of re-telling our rescue stories brings glory to God, enables us to overcome today’s trials, and helps us remember and anchor into the faithfulness of God.
Psalm 116:1-9 (NIV)
I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.
Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.
The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came over me;
I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“Lord, save me!”
The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
The Lord protects the unwary;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.
For you, Lord, have delivered me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
For Prayer and Reflection:
What word(s), phrases(s) or picture(s) in the passage come alive to you in the reading?
Reflect on where you would be if the Lord did not turn his ear to you and listen to your voice? Do you feel like God hears your voice? Do you want to say something to God right now?
In what ways has God “saved” or rescued you recently? How do you want to thank God?
What does “walking in the land of the living” look like for you? Is there one thing which you might do to live out this prayer more fully?