Psalm 116

Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death

1 I love the LORD, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications.
2 Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.

3 The pains of death surrounded me,
And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;
I found trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called upon the name of the LORD:
“O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!”

5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
Yes, our God is merciful.
6 The LORD preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
7 Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.

8 For You have delivered my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
And my feet from falling.
9 I will walk before the LORD
In the land of the living.
10 I believed, therefore I spoke,
“I am greatly afflicted.”
11 I said in my haste,
“All men are liars.”

12 What shall I render to the LORD
For all His benefits toward me?
13 I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the LORD.
14 I will pay my vows to the LORD
Now 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 loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the LORD.

18 I will pay my vows to the LORD
Now in the presence of all His people,
19 In the courts of the LORD’s house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.

Praise the LORD!

Did Leah have 'weak' eyes?

Here's a lovely article doing a word study on the Hebrew words describing Leah in Genesis 29:17. I found it after reading Spurgeon's 'Morning' devotional for Tuesday on biblegateway.com. After reading it, I googled 'Did Leah have weak eyes?' and found the article I mentioned above. I love this part: "Saying that she had "weak eyes" is a term of praise for her, since her greatest fear was to be forced to undergo an arranged marriage with Esau, and therefore she wept and wept to be the mother of the righteous.... God saw her tears -- and made her the most fruitful of the four matriarchs of Israel." Leah wanted to be 'the mother of the righteous' rather than bear children to the rebel Esau. God blessed her for that desire.

Phil Wickham - Evermore

This is such a beautiful song of worship by Phil Wickham, on his new Christmas cd. Ooh, neat. On youtube one of the commenters told us this song was originally written by Aurelius Prudentius in the 5th century. I looked it up, and the lyrics are changed slightly, but it's recognizable as the same hymn. I love it!

The Means of Grace: Bob Burridge of Genevan Institute for Reformed Studies

Pastor Bob Burridge has a new post up about 'The Means of Grace'. It looks very good, so I'm posting this to help me remember to read it asap :) Enjoy!

Downhere - Let Me Rediscover You (Official Music Video)

Another good one. Sometimes I don't have any words, but God gives us songs to express our pain and longing.

Busted Heart - For king & Country

I heard this today, and it was pretty much what I feel like right now. Thank you, Lord for always being there and showing that You understand, and that others understand too.