I love the Lord, for he heard my voice (Psalm 116:1a).
The psalmist has turned to the Lord God for help and has been saved. How do they repay the Lord for all that they receive? As we read through the passage for today, and as the psalmist lists the various things they will do, it keeps coming across as not enough – as though they realise that their praise, offerings, obedience and service all pale in comparison to all that the Lord has done for them.
While in its original context, this psalm may have been used for the nation of Israel to celebrate the Passover, Martin Luther saw it more as the Christian’s response to the work of our Redeemer – Jesus Christ. We cannot and could not save ourselves from our sins. We were dead, and he gave us life. Our response is that we sing praises to Jesus; we want to follow him and obey his commands; we want to tell others about Jesus; we want to be more like him. However, how is this enough? Our Lord did not save us so we could pay him back – any more than God saved the psalmist expecting an equitable return.
How great is our God! How deep is our Saviour’s love! As we slowly come to understand how great the grace of God is, our hearts burst forth with praise and thanks. Perhaps this psalm could be your prayer of thanks today?
Merciful and loving Father, I cannot begin to comprehend how much you have done and continue to do for me. May my ears be opened to the Holy Spirit as he continuously reveals your amazing grace and continues to point me to my Lord and Saviour, nailed to a tree. Praise the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer Points
We give thanks for the wonderful beginning to Term 2 we have been blessed with.
We pray that God would bless Juan Pablo and his family as they settle into our community.
Last week Australians around the world celebrated ANZAC Day, a day in which people join together to pay tribute to and remember those who have served to defend our country and our interests. It is one of the most significant days on the Australian calendar and it is a timely reminder that we are all called to serve in many ways. Men and women from across the country are called to serve the people of Australia by being part of the defence forces. ANZAC Day gives us the opportunity to acknowledge the sacrifice these people made, and are still making for our country.
We, as Christians, are called by God to serve Him and others. One of the core values of Sunshine Christian School is service. This value comes directly from the words of Jesus, ‘Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me’ (John 12:26). We pray that we can can have the commitment and strength to continue to serve our Lord in everything we do as we remember the sacrifice He made for us.
