1 I love the LORD because he hears and answers my prayers.
2 Because he bends down and listens, I will pray as long as I have breath!
3 Death had its hands around my throat; the terrors of the grave overtook me. I saw only trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the LORD: "Please, LORD, save me!"
5 How kind the LORD is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours!
6 The LORD protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and then he saved me.
7 Now I can rest again, for the LORD has been so good to me.
8 He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
9 And so I walk in the LORD's presence as I live here on earth!
10 I believed in you, so I prayed, "I am deeply troubled, LORD."
11 In my anxiety I cried out to you, "These people are all liars!"
12 What can I offer the LORD for all he has done for me?
13 I will lift up a cup symbolizing his salvation; I will praise the LORD's name for saving me.
14 I will keep my promises to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
15 The LORD's loved ones are precious to him; it grieves him when they die.
16 O LORD, I am your servant; yes, I am your servant, the son of your handmaid, and you have freed me from my bonds!
17 I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.
18 I will keep my promises to the LORD in the presence of all his people,
19 in the house of the LORD, in the heart of Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!
In this Psalm the writer was facing the fear and terror of death. He saw only trouble and sorrow. It says that in his anxiety he "cried out" to God. The psalm states that he did so because he "believes" in God, and that he has a "childlike faith."
The results of the psalmist's prayer are equally dramatic. God heard and saved him, giving him rest again!
You and I may not be facing death, but certainly we have times where all we see is trouble and sorrow, being filled with anxieties. Have a childlike faith. Believe that the Lord hears you when you call. He is kind, good, and merciful!
