Psalm 116

The psalmist takes a moment to recount his blessings from the Lord and realizes all the many ways his life has been touched by the hand of the Lord.

It begins "I love the Lord because he hath heard my voice and my supplication."

It is very easy to identify with this particular psalm.  We each could write something similar.  It reminds me of the words of John in 1 John 4:19 where he says, "We love him, because he first loved us."

My experience has been that early in life I loved Jesus because I had been taught of him and He represented some ideal for me, a way to be a good person.  It wasn't until I experienced some of life's struggles and went to God, my Heavenly Father, in "fervent prayer" and felt His love for me and His strengthening power in my life that I truly loved Him - for then I knew Him.

I have a feeling that the author of this psalm had a similar experience.  He says, I love the Lord because:

• He has heard my prayers
• He has been with me during my troubles
• When I was "brought low" he helped me
• He has been generous and merciful to me
• He delivered my soul from death (perhaps brought him from depression to joy again?)
• He delivered my eye from tears (comfort)
• He delivered my feet from falling (strength)

The psalmist recalls all these ways the Lord has touched his life and then says, "What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?"

There is only one thing the Lord wants from us.  He wants our hearts, our love.  He knows that if we love Him our lives will begin to change for eventually, over time, we become that which we love.  When we love someone we just naturally want to be like them.  Those qualities which drew us to love them become the qualities we want to emulate.

It's Christmas and the season is filled with love.  People are kinder, looking for opportunities to love and to serve.  As we remember God's great gift of love, we become more loving.

1 John 4:10 says, Herein is love,not that we loved God but that he loved us, and sent his Son.

On Christmas day God expressed His love for each of us be sending the Christ child.  The love we feel at this time of the year is the beautiful response to that gift as people turn their hearts to Him.  This is all he wants - our love which is best expressed in our kindness to those around us.