ZPCBlog

Editor's note

About the author: Bob Rottmann has been a member of ZPC for 2 ½ years. A Christian all of his life, he has been involved in many leadership roles over the years. At ZPC, he attended Great Banquet #125 and was on the GB team for #133 in a speaker’s role. His wife Gloria and he are members of the Olney Home Group and regularly attend the 2nd Half events. They were also privileged be a part of last year’s Israel trip, their second journey the Holy Land.

About this post: We want to stay connected! This blog post is part of a series of daily devotionals for this season. Read them, share them, and pray that they bring God's peace and love to our communities. To sign up to receive text notification of these posts, text zpc to 39970. We welcome your comments and questions each day.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Psalm 116

Today, let us look at Psalm 116, but for a change let us consider the song verse by verse, bold text for verses and plain text for comments. This is a hymn of personal thanksgiving for God’s care. The specific circumstance is a deliverance from impending death. As we are all changing our lives to keep healthy, this psalm is very relevant to us at this time.

1. I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. (verses 1 & 2) We are urged to Love the Lord in response to the new covenant blessing that Jesus gave us at the last supper and the gift of faith and power given through the Holy Spirit. Our love grows as we experience God’s work among our families and our community, including ZPC.
2. The cords of death entangled me; the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, save me!” (verses 3 & 4) We are also praying to the Lord to keep deadly illness from us and save our souls.
3. The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. The Lord protects the simple hearted; when I was in great need, he saved me. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. (verses 5-7) The Lord deals bountifully with his own. This reflects the character of God. Childlike faith in God and his compassion is what we need. How difficult it is to trust completely and be at peace knowing the Lord will be good to you.
4. For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, That I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living. (verses 8 & 9) These three expressions represent all calamities which may happen to us, but we can rejoice that we are living as the brother of our risen savior, Jesus. He rose from death, so we may also live with assurance that everlasting life is assured to us through our faith.
5. I believed; therefore I said, “I am greatly afflicted.” And in my dismay I said, “All men are liars.” (verses 10 & 11) Our faith can lead us to confess that we can not rely upon others to have our back when liars attack us. We need to trust in God alone. He does, however, provide us with brothers and sisters in Christ to support us.
6. How can I repay the Lord for all of his goodness to me? He 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. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. O Lord, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains. I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, In the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord. (verses 12-19) How can we show our appreciation? By offering to the Lord those expressions of devotion he desires; public worship, thank offerings, celebrating the Lord, worship and praise. The cup of salvation mentioned was part of the ceremony at a paschal meal that climaxed a thank offering. Vows are public, and we will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High. God considers us precious and wants us to be his servants (disciples), and we are also saints in his sight. Hallelujah and Amen.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, 
At this time, we can all relate to the psalmist looking at our mortality and how our lives and the economy of the world are affected by something as small as a virus. We know that you are in control always, so we pray for your mercy for us, our families, and our country. Please provide wisdom to all who are working on our behalf to control and stop this epidemic, and we ask you to help us recover normality in our lives. During this time of trouble, help us to be simpleminded in our faith and continue to repay the Lord for all of his goodness.
Amen

Activity

This may be a good time to have a family time including this devotion and then a discussion about what is going on and how each member of the family is dealing with this crisis. What we are going through right now is going to have a lasting effect on everyone. 

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