Thanksgiving Scripture - Nov 23

Introduction...

Day 23 Psalm 116:1-7, 17-18 Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death
（Memorization Scripture: vv. 5-7）
1 I love the Lord, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications.
2 Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
3 The pains of death surrounded me,
And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;
I found trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called upon the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!”
5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
Yes, our God is merciful.
6 The Lord preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
7 Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
…
17 I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the Lord.
18 I will pay my vows to the Lord
Now in the presence of all His people,


[Sharing] Have you ever gone through the situation that psalmist pictured - “The pains of death surrounded me, And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow”? (v3) If you have similar experiences, then pray diligently just as the psalmist who came to God with his prayer, “Then I called upon the name of the Lord:“O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!””(v4)
How often we forget we are still alive only because God listens to our prayer. Even though He does not always perform exactly all that we ask, He indeed listens to all our prayers. He is gracious and righteous and merciful, and also He is the one true God who people seek and find in the tribulation. It is His grace that helps people from difficulties to stay faithful and to wait for His salvation.
As the psalmist passed through the Valley of Baca, he who had already tasted the grace of God, said “Return to your rest, O my soul, For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.” (v7). Also he went inside the temple of the Lord, offered to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and paid his vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people.
“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.” (vv.1-2)