Psalm 116 reminds me of an experience I had babysitting while I was in High School. My mother looked after four kids as a part-time nanny. For some reason, I was asked to babysit one evening. There were two boys and two girls ranging in age from 6 to 12 years old. They were a very close family. Looking back, I think part of the reason was, the youngest child, Kathleen, was a Down Syndrome child. It seems, many families report a very special bond with their Down’s child. In addition to the physical similarities cause by the extra copy of chromosome 21, these children are often described as having a loving and caring nature. Even as a reluctant and apathetic teenager, I saw how this little kid affected everyone else in her world. She was kind-hearted and her siblings displayed uncanny patience with her. Perhaps the most accurate word to describe this little girl was simple-hearted. This psalm speaks of a man’s love for God after his life was spared. “I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy… He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live“. 1 John 4:19 says it this way, “We love because He first loved us“.
The Psalm describes a desperate situation, “The cords of death entangled me… I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord“. This prayer came straight from the heart, “O LORD, save me!” Listen to the writer’s conclusion, “The Lord protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, He saved me“. Maybe the reason God so often responds to us in our times of crisis is because those are the times that we do not stop to edit our words, but instead cry out from our need. Listen to the result of God’s intervention, “Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you“. I believe God begins in the heart, and then His peace permeates our soul and mind. Here is the best part, “The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion“. We don’t HAVE to wait for desperate times to call on His name!
The psalm continues, The Lord “delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling“. What did he do to earn God’s favor? He explains, “I believed“. He asks, “How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me?” I believe his answer is that he can simply tell us of his experience with God that we too may benefit. “I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people“. Anyone that has experienced God’s forgiveness is filled with gratitude and a desire to give God “a thanks offering“. How do you give thanks to God? By loving those that are hurting all around us. I believe this is the exact same feeling described in Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God this is your spiritualact of worship“. All of us have Special Needs, but it is the simple-hearted that are not too proud to seek God’s help.