Psalms 116:1

Psalms 116:1 says, I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.  David said that he loved the LORD because heard his prayers.  We too can be certain that God will always hear our prayers if we are followers of Christ.  Verse two adds, Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.  David then said that since God listened to him, he would call on God as long as he lived.  There is not a point in life where we reach the age of no longer needing to call on God.  It is something we need to do as long as we live.  Verse three states, The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.  Though David said God heard him when he called to Him, he still said he had dealt with a lot of pain and trouble in his life.  Even if we call out to God and He hears us, it doesn't mean that we will not experience trouble and sorrow in our life.  Verse four adds, Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul. In his times of trouble, David called on God asking God to deliver his soul.  As Christians, in times of trouble we may call on God to deliver us from the situation, but no matter what happens, He has already delivered our soul by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.  Verse five declares, Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.  Like David, we can always be certain that God is righteous and merciful.  We will either one day met Him through the mercy of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, or we will face Him in His righteousness without Jesus Christ, which will send us away to everlasting punishment.  Verse six adds, The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.  Some people may call us simple minded for putting our faith in Jesus Christ, but that is okay, because as David said God preserves the simple and brings low the mighty before they can accept His salvation plan.  As long as someone believes they are too smart or powerful to believe in or need God, they will not be saved.  We must come to God with a simple faith in Jesus Christ while acknowledging our own helplessness to save ourselves.  Verse seven says, Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.  If we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, our soul can be at rest.  God has dealt bountifully with us simply by providing us with a way to salvation.  Verse eight adds, For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.  David said God had delivered His soul from death and his eyes from tears while keeping him from falling in life.  Matthew Henry says this was either by keeping David from falling or helping him up if he did.  As Christians, we are not promised a life free of trouble, but we are promised that God will be with us to lift us up if they come.  Verse nine states, I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living. We, like David, must choose to walk before God in the land of the living, and only those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ are truly alive.