Psalm 116: 12-14 – “Jesus, Lover of My Soul”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹²What shall I bring back to the Lord [for] all His benefits to me? ¹³I will lift up [the] cup of salvations and I will call in the name of the Lord. ¹⁴I will repay my vows to the Lord in the presence of (nah) the all of His people.

Verse 12 actually repeats the word used back in v7, when it said, “Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.” Here in verse 12, it could read, “What shall I bring back to the Lord [for] all His dealing bountifully with me?” It’s the same word.

After eleven verses of recounting the Lord’s goodness and love, the Psalmist now makes the very natural transition to asking, “What can I do for Him?” Here, once again, we see the reciprocity of love. The Lord loves me and fills my life with kindnesses. If I accept that (most actually do not), then the natural response of my heart is to want to do something for Him in return. In verse 1 he said, “I love Him because He’s so good to me.” Now in verse 12 he says, “I want to do something for Him.” Here again is the importance of choosing to be thankful, not only to the Lord but also to the people He puts around us. If I choose to think thankful thoughts (which is a form of accepting another’s love to me), the natural response is to feel love to the Lord or that person who’s done me good. Here in verse 11 we see that the next step is to sincerely want to do something for them – to actually express love to them. If I do and if they accept that love and are thankful for it, what does that do to their heart? Makes it easy to feel love for us, then want to do something loving for us. And what does that do? There you go, once again, love is breeding love. And that is a good thing since all that really matters in life is to love and be loved. And notice too where it started – accepting God’s love. He is the Fountain of Love. Lord, help us all to stop allowing negative, unthankful thoughts to brood in our mind and poison our hearts. Instead help us to be thankful people who love from the heart and breed only more love in our world that desperately needs it!

But let us return to the matter of the Psalmist’s question – “What shall I render to the Lord, for all His goodness to me?” What shall I render? What can I do? Do you see that is a very good question and in fact demands some pondering? He needs nothing from me. I can add nothing to Him. It’s kind of like trying to think of a Christmas present for your parents. It is so easy with children and young people. They need so much. But what do you give to someone who already seems to have everything? In God’s case, in a sense, that is a huge problem. What can I give to One who needs nothing?

This Psalm provides an answer that I haven’t really pondered much before. Notice in verse 13 he says, “I will call on the name of the Lord.” First of all, notice this same phrase occurs in verses 2,4,13, and 17! This Psalmist is doing a lot of “calling on the name of the Lord!” “O Lord, save me!” he called in verse 4. He has recounted in verses 1-11 how the Lord answered his cries and delivered him. Now he asks, “What can I do to pay Him back?” and the answer is, “Keep asking for more!”

At first glance that seems inappropriate, perhaps even offensive. “Keep asking for more!” Really? Yes. I like what Matthew Henry said: “If we have received kindness from a man like ourselves, we tell him that we hope we shall never trouble him again; but God is pleased to reckon the prayers of His people an honour to Him, and a delight, and no trouble; and therefore, in gratitude for former mercies, we must seek to Him for further mercies, and continue to call upon Him!”

Charles Spurgeon quoted an old poem:

The best return for one like me,

So wretched and so poor,

Is from His gifts to draw a plea,

And ask Him still for more.

“And ask Him still for more.” Yes.

I’ve never quite seen this before, how God is pleased for us who have asked for blessing to acknowledge His answers to those prayers and then ask Him for more. Asking Him for more is actually something I can do “for Him.” This seems a “strange” thought to me. But I think the problem is exactly what Matthew Henry acknowledged, “If we have received kindness from a man like ourselves,…” “From a man like ourselves.” God is not “ a man like ourselves.” He is God, not man. Therein I think is the problem that I sense in my heart. I’m seeing this “paying back” and “asking for more” from a human standpoint. It could actually seem ungrateful to receive a gift from another person and then ask them for more.

Hmmmmm. On the other hand, that isn’t always the case even with people. When a mother spends the time cooking a delicious meal for her children and they ask for seconds, what does that communicate to her? If she sews them a little shirt and they like it and ask if she could sew them another, what does that communicate to her? Hmmmm. I think that is the way God’s heart works. It’s His place to care for us. We need Him to care for us. We’re dependent on Him to care for us. So when He does and we acknowledge it and ask for more, it actually pleases Him.

To ask for more is actually something we can give to Him. It doesn’t add anything to Him, any more than a child’s request adds anything to his mother, but it pleases her and it pleases Him.

Interesting. Never thought about this exactly before.

I have begun my prayers for years telling the Lord, “Here I am again, needing You.” I knew that was “okay” but I think there’s always been an element of apology in my heart, maybe just a tiny bit of feeling like a bother. Hmmm. I need to dispense with the “bother” part and see my “needing” as a form of praise that He actually enjoys.

I’m sitting here at my keyboard feeling overwhelmed (again) by His love. I need Him so much. I “wear Him out” with all my neediness and troubles. And what is His response? To encourage me to come more! Gracious. I’ve been studying His Word, seeking to know Him better for over 30 years, and His love only goes deeper and deeper and deeper. His beauty truly is infinite. No matter how much I learn of it, there is still more to find.

Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Savior, hide, till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide; O receive my soul at last.

Other refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul on Thee;
Leave, ah! leave me not alone, still support and comfort me.
All my trust on Thee is stayed, all my help from Thee I bring;
Cover my defenseless head with the shadow of Thy wing.

Thou, O Christ, art all I want, more than all in Thee I find;
Jesus, lover of my soul.