I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.

Psalm 116:1

On 3 Feb 1788, Rev Richard Johnson preached the first ever sermon on Australian soil. The passage he spoke on was Psalm 116. We don’t know why he chose this passage. But we know that the colony of New South Wales was no paradise. Marsden’s audience were convicts, rejected by their homeland and exiled to the far reaches of the earth.

Where can you turn when you reach the edge of life’s horizon and are greeted by nothing but the cold emptiness of night? How can you muster the motivation–let alone the courage–to move forward when your life’s endeavours evaporate like mist, and when every mental and physical resource you have has been thoroughly depleted? Where are you inclined to turn–indeed where can you turn–in times of desperation and crisis?

We may not be prisoner’s in an 18th century convict colony, but often we feel imprisoned by the circumstances we find ourselves in. In Psalm 116, the Psalmist reflects on a time when “the cords of death entangled” him (116:3). He may not have been an innocent victim, but he was immersed in a context of lies and deception, and he was suffering to the point of death because of it (116:11).

It is natural to crave the security of a reliable friend when you’re in a position of vulnerability. But in a climate of deception, the erosion of trust leads to hopelessness and despair. Our own powerlessness combined with lack of partnership leaves us feeling alone, isolated, strangled by the cords of death.

But Psalm 116 helps us to see that we are never alone nor are we ever without hope. Amid deception, and in utter desperation the Psalmist finds solace beyond this world. He cries out to his God who hears, listens, understands and acts. In the darkness, his appeal for help is met with the light of God’s mercy.

This mercy is both life saving and soul soothing. It permits him to find rest and peace, not in the things of this world but in the everlasting goodness and faithfulness of God.

Here is the light of hope that can illuminate even the most darkened soul. Because what is sung about in Psalm 116 finds its ultimate crescendo in the pages of the New Testament in the person of Jesus Christ. As 1 Peter 1 wonderfully teaches :

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is being kept in heaven for you who through faith are being shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5)

Christian faith is about entrusting ourselves to the saving mercy of God in Christ. The trials of life can be overwhelming, but in Christ’s resurrection God has defeated death, and has secured for us peace and rest in his eternal kingdom. This does not come to us by the power of our goodness. It comes to us by entrusting ourselves to his goodness. He is our strength. Nothing in the world is more valuable than knowing that, especially when we feel ostracised by circumstance and imprisoned in despair.

It’s for this reason that Jesus himself says “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-30)

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A Prayer

God: thank you for your saving mercy in Jesus. Thank you for your faithfulness and goodness. Help me not to rely on my own strength but to find rest and peace in yours. Thank you for the assurance that we have security in heaven because of Jesus’ defeat of death. Help me to entrust myself to your mercy every day. Amen.