From death, tears and temptation
April 19, 2008 (Saturday)
The Scripture verse, Psalm 116:8, is one of the sweetest praises in the Bible. In the New International Version, it reads like this: “..you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling…”
The writer, David, had faced dangerous circumstances, and this prayer (Psalm 116) thanks God for the deliverance from the dangers, anxiety and fears he had experienced. There had been great danger, so it could be clearly seen that God had given great deliverance. God’s power had been seen, and that manifestation stirred the Psalmist to offer thanks to God.
David, in verse 8, thanks God for deliverance from death. He was thankful to be alive after a life-threatening experience. We can think of similar moments in our own lives when God has taken care of us as we faced dangerous circumstances. We have also been delivered from another kind of death: spiritual death. In Christ we are alive and shall live forever. Jesus said the believer shall never die (John 11:26). That is our great hope, and we owe it all to God in Christ.
David also thanks God for delivering his eyes from tears. In one of the “Terminator” movies, the robot asks the boy why water is coming out of his eyes. The boy replies something to the effect that it’s something that humans do.* We cry. We shed tears. Many times those tears come because of physical pain, but most of the time they flow because of an inner, emotional pain. That’s life. God provides relief from that inner suffering, and that’s what this part of the verse is talking about. We are told in Phil 4:6-7 not to worry, but to pray about everything, with thanksgiving, and God will give us peace.
Finally, David thanks God in this verse for delivering his feet from stumbling. For us in our daily lives today, this means deliverance from stumbling in our spiritual walk. It means deliverance from evil. 1 Cor. 10:13 urges us to pursue God’s “way of escape” from temptation.
Take this verse with you: “You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling” (Psalm 116:8 NIV).
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From the movie:
.
The Terminator: Why do you cry?
John Connor: You mean people?
The Terminator: Yes.
John Connor: I dont’ know. We just cry. You know, when it hurts.
The Terminator: Pain causes it?
John Connor: No, it’s when there’s nothing wrong with you, but you cry anyway. You get it?
The Terminator: No.