Prepare to Listen. Thou didst not leave his soul in hell.
Prayerfully Read Psalm 16:7-11 7I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. 8I keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure. 10For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit. 11You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures for evermore. Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect What caught your attention as you read this psalm? “For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit.” Sheol and the Pit refer to the place of the dead, and used here metaphorically for dark and difficult times. If you’re familiar with Handel’s Messiah, you know this verse as, “Thou didst not leave his soul in hell.” Changing the pronoun from ‘me’ to ‘his’ distorts the meaning and tempts us to apply the text exclusively to Jesus. The psalmist, however, didn’t have a future person in view. This was about his life, then. He’d been through a major crisis. He’d asked for and received God’s protection (v. 1) and thus could now say, “I bless the LORD.” Whereas many Christians expect God to bless them, the Jews frequently bless the Lord (see Ps 103). Devout Jews bless God multiple times a day. In Psalm 145 the psalmist says she’ll bless God every day and forever (vv. 1-2). They bless the Lord, as in Psalm 16, because they’re grateful God has protected them. At other times, they bless the Lord because God is their Creator and deserves all glory no matter what the circumstances. God never promised that life would turn out the way we want. We will experience difficulties, and need protection, for which we can bless the Lord. So I suggest, as the 2nd week of Lent begins, to practice pausing multiple times a day, and bless the Lord. Begin with “Blessed are you, Lord God, for…” and add whatever you think or feel at that moment. How often do you bless the Lord compared with asking the Lord to bless you? What can you bless God for today? Prayerfully Respond Lord you are blessed for all you are and have done. I know I don’t pause to bless you as often as I should. I ask for your help to remember to do so more often during Lent. Amen. Live obediently. Bless the Lord.
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