“I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD” (Psalm 116:13).
Notice the “I wills” of this great psalm:
- “I will take the cup of salvation” (v.13). In the garden of Gethsemane, our Lord prayed, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39). On the cross, Christ drank fully of the cup of suffering and death for sin, that we might one day drink of the cup of salvation.
- “I will call upon the name of the LORD” (Psalm 116:13,17), “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). Calling on the Lord begins at salvation, and continues throughout the Christian life. “Because He hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live” (Psalm 116:2).
- “I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living” (v.9). Not only should the believer exhibit a good testimony in his walk before the world, he also should consider if his walk before the Lord is well-pleasing.
- “I will pay my vows unto the LORD in the presence of all His people” (v.18). The Lord expects us to keep our word. Vows, like those in marriage, extend in two directions: upward, “unto the LORD,” and outward, “in the presence of all His people.” Vows should never be taken lightly. Both God and man have a right to expect them to be kept.
- “I will offer to thee the sacrifice of praise” (v.17). Praising God is a definite act of the will. The writer of Hebrews encourages us to do just that. “ By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15). The sacrifice of praise truly is a sweet-smelling savor to God. “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me” (Psalm 50:23). NPS
