Thoughts for the Day

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

For you have delivered my soul from death,
my ears from tears,
my feet from stumbling.
I kept my faith, even when I said,
'I am greatly afflicted'.

(Church in Wales Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Psalms 113-116 are Passover Psalms, and Psalm 116 was traditionally sung after the Passover meal, as the third of four cups of wine is held up. This cup is called the cup of salvation. The psalm deals with doubts, fears, and troubles, and we can imagine that when Jesus held up this cup at the Last Supper, knowing all that was about to happen, how poignant these words must have been, for he was to die for our salvation - to save us from our sin!

The psalmist remembers that when life was difficult God saved him and prevented him from 'stumbling'. Despite deserving punishment for his sin, God had rescued him. Because of his repentance he was saved. We can sense that he was about to be faced with more danger, but he reminds himself not to worry about the future for God has looked after him in the past.

Our salvation is not based on regulations or rituals, but is based on repentance. So after praising God our worship starts with confession. Our private prayer should be the same. After saying "God, how great You are!" it should be followed by "I'm sorry for ......!" Then we should stop worrying!

Lord God,
we praise Your name,
and we thank You for everything You give us.
We ask You to forgive our sin this day,
then comfort us with the knowledge
that You have helped us in the past,
and we can stop worrying.
Amen.