Psalm 116

God Heard

Posted on by Betsy

Let’s talk about healing today. I find this can be a tricky subject for some. We see many acts of healing in the Bible done by Jesus in his lifetime and even done by the disciples in his name. The Old Testament contains healing stories as well, as God divinely intervenes in a situation to bring healing to a person or a nation. We are taught from early days to pray for healing, and in the book of James we are instructed to come together as a body of Christ to lay hands, anoint with oil, and ask for healing in the name of Jesus (James 5:14-15).

Televangelists have given healing services a bad name. In an effort to extort money from hopeful believers, they have scammed their viewers and falsely proclaimed that they have some mystical power to heal. I remember watching one such televangelist laying on top of a desk piled high with sealed envelopes (containing money along with the prayer requests) and proclaiming that everyone was healed. The only thing he could actually relieve them of was their dollars.

I have been blessed to participate in legitimate healing services in my church. Following our United Methodist Book of Worship, these services are grounded in Scripture and prayer. God’s intervention is sought as we remember together that only God has the power to heal, and we remember that God hears our every petition.

I think that is the key. God hears. He hears the sincere petitions of his people. He hears the unspoken desires of our hearts. He hears our faith as we gather at an altar to speak to him. He hears our needs as we present them before him. And he always answers.

Psalm 116 ( New International Version)

I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
    he heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because he turned his ear to me,
    I will call on him as long as I live.

This beautiful psalm is a reminder that God hears. When we pray for healing and it doesn’t come, sometimes we accuse God of not listening or being absent. But that is not the case, and this is the tricky part of healing: God may give you an answer that you didn’t expect. The answer may even be “no.”.

When I was a very young and very naive young pastor with the ink still wet on my ordination papers, my church conducted a healing service. I remember it like it was yesterday. Many more people came than we had expected, and by the end of the night I was worn out. One of our church members, who had been absent for two years, was wheeled up by her family for the anointing of oil. She had cancer and had been suffering for months. We prayed over her and anointed her with the virgin olive oil someone had brought back from Israel.

She died the next day.

Confused and uncomfortable, I went to the senior pastor for comfort. I thought it was a failure of our efforts that someone had died within 24 hours of our service. He kindly and gently told me that she had indeed been healed, as her pain was now gone and her body was restored in heaven. He reminded me that ultimately we only find complete healing in death and resurrection. I realized then that she was the first person to receive healing from our service, and that understanding has undergirded my faith ever since.

Healing comes in the way God sees fit. It comes at his pleasure. It comes in his time. It comes in ways that are good for us, even when we can’t see it.

12 What shall I return to the Lord
    for all his goodness to me?

13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
    and call on the name of the Lord.
14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people.

This psalm also reminds us that if you have received healing, you are invited to respond with fulfilling your vows, serving God, and offering your thanks. Of the ten lepers who were healed by Jesus, only one thought to come back and thank him (Luke 17: 11-19). Have you remembered to thank God for all of your blessings?

15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
    is the death of his faithful servants.
16 Truly I am your servant, Lord;
    I serve you just as my mother did;
    you have freed me from my chains.

17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you
    and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the Lord—
    in your midst, Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord.

If you are struggling today, waiting for an answer that seems to not be coming, have faith. God heard you. God loves you. God responds in his time, so take heart! Your redeemer comes.

Path to Healing (by Fayette Piedmont hospital) by Kathy Schumacher

We Do Recover

Posted on by Betsy

Two people whom I admire very much are hard-working advocates for addiction recovery. One is in her thirties, and is a recovered drug and alcohol addict. She has turned her life completely around, owns a fitness studio, and produces an addiction recovery podcast that aims to help others recover as well. (Check out Chasing Heroine) The other is a former High School chum who has fought hard to be sober for several decades. His encouragement to other alcoholics to join AA, combined with his own personal testimony, has made him an effective witness to the recovery movement. These two people inspire me and I pray for their continued recovery all the time. They both post under #wedorecover, and every time I see that hashtag, I am compelled to pray for everyone who is working to overcome the illness of addiction. If this is you, congratulations, and know that many people are rooting for you and are proud of you.

Our Psalm today puts recovery in a focused spotlight. The psalmist is recovering from some life-destroying illness or injury, and he lifts his weary head up to offer praise and thanksgiving for God’s intervention.

Psalm 116 (New Revised Standard Version)

1 I love the Lord, because he has heard
    my voice and my supplications.
2 Because he inclined his ear to me,
    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The snares of death encompassed me;
    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
    I suffered distress and anguish.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
    “O Lord, I pray, save my life!”

Sheol is an Old Testament concept of a type of hell, a place where people went when they died. It is a word for the abode of the dead. Most scholars think that it is derived from a word meaning hollow. To the Hebrew mind, Sheol was a place of destruction and utter desolation. It was believed that Sheol was located deep down in the earth, as hell is often thought of today.

I don’t know a single person who has struggled with addiction who hasn’t experienced Sheol.

5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
    our God is merciful.
6 The Lord protects the simple;
    when I was brought low, he saved me.
7 Return, O my soul, to your rest,
    for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

8 For you have delivered my soul from death,
    my eyes from tears,
    my feet from stumbling.
9 I walk before the Lord
    in the land of the living.

What are you recovering from today? Do you have an addiction? Have you been sick? Suffering from COVID? Dealing with a failed marriage? Trying to pick yourself up from unemployment/disappointment/family estrangements/your own stupidity?

You are not alone. We are all trying to recover from something. So as you struggle, remember this: God will deliver you. He will walk beside you. He protects you and he will save you, but you have to call on the name of the Lord. ”Oh Lord, I pray, save my life!” Say this, and he will flee to you.

Thanks be to God.

We Do Recover by Kathy Schumacher

Songs of the Pandemic

Posted on by Betsy

The Psalms were originally written to be sung as songs. They provide a glimpse of ancient Hebrew life when we read them and hear what the people were experiencing. Music has always been a way to record the joys, sorrows, angst, and fears of a generation. In the Psalms, we experience the hope and sadness of that generation, and surprisingly, they translate into songs for our current circumstance as well.

As you read this, think of those who have lost a loved one to COVID 19. Think of the exhaustion of the front line workers who are taking care of us, feeding us, providing services for us, and putting their own lives at risk for us.

Psalm 116 (New King James Version)

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!”

In every circumstance, God’s people have called upon the name of the Lord, and in every circumstance, God has inclined his ear. Wherever we find trouble and sorrow, we also find God, right there in the midst of it.

What shall I render to the Lord
For all His benefits toward me?
13 I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the Lord.
14 I will pay my vows to the Lord
Now in the presence of all His people.

15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of His saints.

Many have died. Many more will die. All are precious in the sight of the Lord. We are one day closer to the end of this thing, but we aren’t finished yet. How can we continue to sing in the middle of this pandemic? What should our lyrics be?

I think we should join the chorus of the original Psalmists, and sing praises. We should lift our voices high in harmonies of thanksgiving. Let us simply praise the Lord. Praising God in the storm reminds us of who he is, and whose we are. God loosed our bonds so that we might be free of all fear and sadness. Yes, there is death, but death has no sting. Praise the Lord!

16 O Lord, truly I am Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
You have loosed my bonds.
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,
19 In the courts of the Lord’s house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord!

Singing Alone in the Pandemic by Wende Pritchard