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I Love The Lord

"I love the Lord." Such a clear, simple and sweet statement.

Psalm 116 starts off with this declaration. The psalmist then describes why he loves God in verses 4 through 8.

Then called I upon the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.
Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.
The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.
Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.
For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.

After describing what God had done, the psalmist asked, "What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?" (verse 12) What can I give back to God to show my appreciation? Two times the psalmist says he will give God thanks, call on the name of the Lord, and pay his vows in the presence of all God's people. (verses 13-14, 17-18)

This chapter was a good reminder of the appropriate response to God's goodness. We need to simply love God. I've found that simply stating out loud, "I love you" to God, has made my relationship with God more real. Think about how it would feel if the person you cared for never said "I love you" out loud. It would be painful and your relationship would feel hollow. We need to say out loud, "God, I love you."

Of course God wants us to give Him praise and be thankful and follow through in doing the things we've promised (vows). What struck me was the psalmist's repetitive statement: "I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid..." (verse 16) A handmaid is a female servant and under the laws of servitude, a servant's child is also a servant to the master. The psalmist told God three times, "I am your servant." That was a powerful reminder that we love God and are his servants.

God has freed us to live for him. We are his servants who live with new freedom that has saved our souls from death. As we serve God, we have a wonderful hope for our tomorrow. Let's openly declare we love God.

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