Devotional
When Trouble Returns: Reassuring Your Soul with God's Past Faithfulness
“Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you” (Psalms 116:7).
By Paulson Pulikottil
This psalm recounts how God delivered the psalmist from a near-death experience, described in verses 3, 10, and 11:
“The snares of death encompassed me; /the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; / I suffered distress and anguish” (Psalm 116:3; see also verses 10 and 11).
God did not abandon him. He heard and answered his prayers in due time:
“Because he inclined his ear to me, / therefore I will call on him as long as I live” (Psalm 116:2; see also verses 1, 2, 6, 8, and 16).
Having been saved, the psalmist sings this song of thanksgiving to the LORD. He keeps this joy from being only his own, openly telling the people of the LORD what God has done for him (verses 5, 6, 9, and 15).
The psalm turns in three directions: upward toward God in praise and adoration, outward toward fellow believers whom the psalmist encourages, and inward toward himself as he speaks to “my soul.”
We often overlook this third dimension: reassuring ourselves. Even after God rescues us, fear of relapse or the possibility of trouble returning can unsettle our hearts. Our trust in God is not complete unless we speak to our restless hearts with the same faith we share with fellow believers. We can declare, “The LORD has dealt bountifully with me.”
I see this psalm as a spiritual journal entry the psalmist can return to whenever fear and doubt assail him, reminding himself that God is always good. It does not promise that life’s troubles end with this one. Rather, it reminds us that if trouble comes again, we can remember how bountifully God has dealt with us in the past—and trust that he will do so again.
Let what God has done in your life be a reason to hope for the future.
