I Love the LORD Because...

All scripture references, unless otherwise noted, are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Oh what an opening statement! I remember when I first read Psalm 116 it meant so much to me! I remember standing up during testimony service (yep, most, at least smaller, churches offered people a chance to testify in church then) and reading Psalm 116 in its entirety to the congregation as my testimony. "I (still do) love the Lord because," oh there are too many reasons to explain here.

Verse 1, "Because He hath heard the voice of my supplications." Verse 2, "Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live." Let me tell you verses 3-4 says it all of my life, "The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul." Verse 5 speaks of God's graciousness, "Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful." Without His mercy where would I be?

Verse 6 says, "The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me." I remember that day so clearly when the Lord Jesus said, "Make me your choice. I am the only reasonable choice that you have." As I stood to my feet and turned in the direction I sensed the Lord to be I replied, "Lord Jesus if you will help me I will serve you from this day to the day I die." I knew I could not serve the Lord without His help. "...And he helped me." that day!

Verses 7-8 say, "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." Truly the Lord Jesus has been good to me! He has delivered me and because of His bountifully dealing with me, verse 9 says, "I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living."

Verses 10-11 says it well, "I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted: I said in my haste, All men are liars." I remember as a teenager thinking and saying to my mother and others, people were all plastic. I thought there was no one in the world that was not a hypocrite. And I thought of myself as the biggest hypocrite of them all! 

But I was wrong. The Bible says in Romans 3:4, "let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged." The Lord Jesus has always kept His word to me. Verses 12-14 asks, "What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?" There is a song that comes to mind some of the words are as follows, "what can I give Him, for all He has given, Oh what can I offer the LORD?"  This is what I will do, "I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people." I guess that is one reason I love testimony service so well. It gives me a chance to "pay my vows unto the LORD ... in the presence of all his people."

Verse 15 says, "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints." Another song says, "I'll live for Him who died for me, upon the cross of Calvary...." If need be, I will die for Him also.

Verse 16 is no doubt specifically speaking of the Lord Jesus. But for this post I can say that because of Jesus' sacrifice at Calvary, " O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds." In this case His handmaid via my deceased brother is the church. And the Lord Jesus has set me free!

Verse 17 says, "I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD." I am truly thankful and by God's help will call upon the name of the Lord Jesus for the rest of my life.Verse 18-19 concludes the matter, "I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people, In the courts of the LORD'S house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD." I will testify of God;s goodness to me to His people in the church and with God;s help, on Facebook, my blog and to all those outside also.

Why do you love the Lord?