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Welcome to the Daily Blade. The Word of God is described as the Sword of the Spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. Let's sharpen up.

Dedicating The Week To Uncle Kevin

Reading Psalm 116 For The Dying

Psalm 116 Verses 1 To 9

Why This Psalm Is Thanksgiving

Death’s Ropes And Real Anguish

Calling On The Lord For Rescue

God Saves When We Are Brought Low

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Alright, good to have you guys back today. This week I dedicated these episodes to the memory of my late Uncle Kevin. He passed away recently, but right before he did, I was able to be with him at the hospital by his bed, where I read a couple of psalms to him and then told him what he meant to me. And for the last two days, we've dug into the first psalm that I read to him, which is Psalm 23. I picked that psalm because it seemed appropriate for someone that was in the process of leaving this world. But after I finished reading Psalm 23 to him, I then read Psalm 116. So I chose Psalm 116 because it seemed like the right psalm to share after someone passes away. And when I was reading this to him, it was clear to just about everyone that it would not be long before that happened. I'll read the first nine verses of Psalm 116 now and then we'll hit the rest of it tomorrow. So the exact author and date in the writing for the psalm isn't known, but the English Standard Version names this psalm I love the Lord. I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy, because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. The snares of death encompass me, the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me, I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the name of the Lord. O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul. Gracious is the Lord and righteous, our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple, when I was brought low, he saved me. Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. For you have delivered my soul from death, from my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. Now from the very first words of the psalm, we can tell that this is a psalm of thanksgiving. Again, verse one, I love the Lord. And then we see the author elucidate the reason why he loves the Lord and what the Lord does for him. And the reason for the Thanksgiving becomes pretty clear early on because verse three says this the snares of death encompassed me, the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me, I suffered distress and anguish. So the King James Version actually says it this way the sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell got hold upon me. I found trouble and sorrow. And the Christian Standard Version Bible reads this of verse three the ropes of death were wrapped around me, and the torments of Sheol overcame me, I encountered trouble and sorrow. I mean, this is sorrow brought on by incredible danger, sounds like. This does not sound at all like a casual stroll through the valley of the shadow of death, right? So the writer is expressing deep anguish, like many of you listening today have felt at one time or another. But the writer does not simply lament his circumstances and remain stagnant. So verse 4, then I called on the name of the Lord, O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul. And our God is gracious to save, right? Verses five and six again. Gracious is the Lord and righteous. Our God is merciful, the Lord preserves the simple. When I was brought low, he saved me. And when I figured it all out intellectually, that's when all that happens, right? Like that's what needs to happen with all of us. We just need to figure it all out with our brains. No. We see from the text, we were simple. And does this happen when we, you know, we're experiencing times of joy and plenty? No. The text says, when I was brought low. Again, remember what I said when we were discussing Psalm 23. The point of the Psalm is not that God delivers us from the valley, but that he is in the valley with us, right? And God is not just teleporting you away from your difficult circumstances because he intends to use those circumstances to bring you low, to show you his glory, to give you a chance to put your faith in him, and ultimately so he can save you. And if you put your faith in him, you too will be able to say, verse 8 and 9, for you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. Amen.

God Stays With Us In The Valley

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