What shall I return to the Lord? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Psalm 116:12,

"What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me?"

The psalmist here asks the kind of compelling question that flows from
a meditation on the Lord's compassion and blessings. These blessings
are of a personal nature and the answer the psalmist asks of himself
will be of a personal answer.

The psalm recounts the great compassion expressed to him by the Lord
following his cry to God for mercy. He says, "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. The cords of death
entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by
distress and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord: 'Lord,
save me!' The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of
compassion. The Lord protects the unwary; when I was brought low, he
saved me."

As I read this I can't help but note my own great need the Lord saved
me from. Condemned to an eternity in a fiery lake of burning sulfur
for my own sins, the Lord looked upon me in his compassion and saved
me. The Lord's great mercy and compassion is extended to all who call
upon him, to those who embrace him in faith, to those who cry out to
him for his mercy and salvation.

The psalmist's question in verse 12 is reminiscent of other passages
of Scripture. Notably, Paul answers this question for us all,
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy,
to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to
God--this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the
pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind." Other passages beg the question, "We continually ask God to
fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and
understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life
worthy of the Lord and please him in every way..." Colossians 1:9-10.
Also, "For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals
with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live
lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory." 1
Thessalonians 2:11-12.

We are to live our lives worthy the Lord, worthy of his
incomprehensible love for us, worthy of his mercy in forgiving us,
worthy of his compassion for us in having his very own Son, Jesus
Christ pay the penalty for our sins, worthy of the eternal life he has
given us as an inheritance.

What an appropriate question the psalmist asks! "What shall I return
to the Lord for all his goodness to me?" This is the question I ask of
myself today. How about you?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

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Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com