“The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”” Psalm 116:3-4 ESV
Reflection: have you ever cried out to the Lord in complete desperation?
We learned the other day that someone close to us has a brain tumor, still at a relatively young age. Thankfully, this individual is a follower of Christ, and has made a beautiful, public proclamation of their faith in Christ. But of course, most people desire to live a “full life”, watching children and grandchildren grow up. And to be faced with a sudden serious, possibly life threatening illness, forces us to stop what we are doing. Causes most to really consider what is truly important in this life, and whether we have achieved our purpose. And, most also think about what is beyond this life. Because, somehow life feels unfinished almost at any age, like there has to be more than this. Even those who proclaim they don’t believe in God, may find themselves crying out to the God they don’t believe in, as they stare into eternity. In a desperate cry for help.
So, in such a situation, what we got another chance? What would be different?
We read this very situation in psalm 116, where the psalmist is faced with death. He describes the feeling almost as being strangled, as “cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me” Psalms 116:3a NIV. So he is filled with distress and anguish. With desperation. He has come to that point where he knows that he has no control of life in himself. That creating, keeping or destroying life doesn’t belong to him, but to God alone. And, it is almost as if he is telling us that he had to get to this very moment, this point before he realized this. Because, he writes next, “Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”” Psalm 116:4 ESV
Do you notice anything interesting about his cry? He is not asking God for physical healing of his body, to extend this life; he is pleading with God to deliver his soul. He understands that, although he probably wants to live longer in this life, there is a much more important, bigger picture of eternity. Because he has starred at what’s next, as he put it, the “pangs of Sheol laid hold on me”. And the Lord heard his honest cry to him, and delivered him. He writes “Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling; I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.” Psalm 116:5-9 ESV.
Sometimes the Lord will allow us to get to a point of desperation, to call us to Himself, as we see time and time again in the Bible. The question is how we respond to such a situation, how we respond to His call. Does it humble us, so that we cry out to the Lord for His help, His grace and His mercy? Or do we become bitter and angry, hardened, as what happened to the Israelites in the desert “As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”” Hebrews 3:15 ESV.
If we humble ourselves, the Lord will hear our cry. And we can join with the psalmist saying “I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.”Psalm 116:1-2 ESV