Psalm 116

1 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.

3 The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came upon me;
I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.

4 Then I called on the name of the LORD :
"O LORD, save me!"

5 The LORD is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.

6 The LORD protects the simplehearted;
when I was in great need, he saved me.

7 Be at rest once more, O my soul,
for the LORD has been good to you.

8 For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,

9 that I may walk before the LORD
in the land of the living.

10 I believed; therefore I said,
"I am greatly afflicted."

11 And in my dismay I said,
"All men are liars."

12 How can I repay 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.

15 Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of his saints.

16 O LORD, truly I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your maidservant;
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, O Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD.

From reading the psalm, we know that God has just rescued the psalmist from certain death (v8-9). And the psalmist's response is "How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me?" - v12.

That's gratefulness. That's thankfulness.

Christians has this tendency (or rather, sinful nature) to forget what the Lord has blessed us with. We often focus too much on the blessings, and not the blesser - God. We can become so caught up with our blessings and neglect our time with God.

Back to the question on how to repay the Lord. I think one good way is to fulfill our vows that we have made before the Lord - v14 and v18. And to fulfill them in the presence of other Christians. One example is the marriage vows. For those who are married, keep the marriage vows and be a role model for others.


There are things that I've promised the Lord I'd do it, but I haven't. One example is prayerwalking my school. Lord, help me fulfill my vows that I've made to You.


Things to ponder
1. What vows or promises have you made to God and have fulfilled them? Name at least 1.
2. What vows or promises have you made to God and have NOT fulfilled them? Name at least 1.
3. Pray for yourself to say what you mean and mean what you say before God. Pray also to fulfill the vow you've mentioned in Q2.