Psalms of Honesty and Praise

There is no greater honor or feeling of worth when you know a person is really listening to you. This is a person who listens for understanding to what you are saying. In school we call it active listening. A great listener looks right into your eyes, fully focused without looking away. A great listener is not thinking about what they will respond back to you while you are talking. They just listen. Pause. Pray. And then respond. Or just give you a hug.

Who is a great example of listening? God, our Heavenly Father! I am brought to tears to the first line of our psalm for today…

“I love Yahweh because he listened to me…”

In this world of self, people do not listen. That’s why there is a huge market out there for people who will pay a large amount of money for a person to just listen to them. Many times we know what we need to do, we just need to talk it out with a person who will just listen.

“He listened so intently as I laid out my case before him.”

Yes, that is our God, our trusted adviser, the One who listens to our cries of despair and our praises of adoration for Him. I know, without doubt, that the Lord has listened to Randy and I. He has arranged solutions to problems and certain circumstances we have had over the years in ways we, by ourselves, could not have orchestrated. Yes, He listens.

“I said to myself, ‘Relax and rest, Yahweh has showered you with blessings.”

It is important to “Have a little talk with Jesus”, then listen to Him! The Psalmist takes a turn toward the end with gratitude to God for actively listening to his cries for help with;

“Oh, Yahweh, here I am, your servant, your faithful servant: set me free for your service! I’m ready…”

Read and be blessed. Talk to God. He loves to listen. Then listen to Him!

Psalm 116, The Message
1-6 I love God because he listened to me,
listened as I begged for mercy.
He listened so intently
as I laid out my case before him.
Death stared me in the face,
hell was hard on my heels.
Up against it, I didn’t know which way to turn;
then I called out to God for help:
“Please, God!” I cried out.
“Save my life!”
God is gracious—it is he who makes things right,
our most compassionate God.
God takes the side of the helpless;
when I was at the end of my rope, he saved me.

7-8 I said to myself, “Relax and rest.
God has showered you with blessings.
Soul, you’ve been rescued from death;
Eye, you’ve been rescued from tears;
And you, Foot, were kept from stumbling.”

9-11 I’m striding in the presence of God,
alive in the land of the living!
I stayed faithful, though bedeviled,
and despite a ton of bad luck,
Despite giving up on the human race,
saying, “They’re all liars and cheats.”

12-19 What can I give back to God
for the blessings he’s poured out on me?
I’ll lift high the cup of salvation—a toast to God!
I’ll pray in the name of God;
I’ll complete what I promised God I’d do,
and I’ll do it together with his people.
When they arrive at the gates of death,
God welcomes those who love him.
Oh, God, here I am, your servant,
your faithful servant: set me free for your service!
I’m ready to offer the thanksgiving sacrifice
and pray in the name of God.
I’ll complete what I promised God I’d do,
and I’ll do it in company with his people,
In the place of worship, in God’s house,
in Jerusalem, God’s city.
Hallelujah!

What do we learn? God listens. God loves to listen to us. He loves us. Follow His example for listening to Him and to others.

In Jesus Name, Amen I believe.