Sermon Psalm 116 Answered Prayer

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Beaver Dam and Pitts Creek Churches

Sermon Psalm 116 Answered Prayer

May 4, 2014

I am continuing today with my sermon series on the Easter Psalms. These are Psalms that the early church used to try to understand the biblical foundation of the resurrection of Jesus which they experienced. They would gather on Sunday mornings to remember what Jesus had said and done. Then, after work, they would gather again to share in a communion meal. We are still doing these things. Today we will look at something that we all want. Our topic is “answered prayer”. We will get to this, but first let's pray.

Lord Jesus, your rising from tomb heralds the dawning of life eternal as the dawning of this day holds the possibilities of life anew. Open my eyes to the signs of your resurrection and confirm in my heart

the power of your amazing love, that I may with confidence sing “Alleluia.” Amen.¹

Let's start with a wonderful story of answered prayer from Guidebooks magazine.

“Wrapped presents, homemade knit stockings, fresh-baked goods—I ran through a mental checklist of all the things I needed to bring to my son’s for Christmas Eve. Despite my recently acquired walking cane, I’d wheeled everything from my apartment to the car in a shopping cart.

Just because I lived in a retirement community didn’t mean I needed help getting ready for Christmas. I slammed shut the trunk. Ready to hit the road!

Moving to the retirement community had been a big change, although not as big as when I left Germany for America after World War II. I no longer had space to host Christmas Eve dinner. Fortunately, my son and his family lived nearby and had offered to pick up the torch.

I drove along, smiling at the thought of the young grandchildren’s happy faces when they saw all the goodies. On the radio, Bing Crosby sang “White Christmas.” Outside, the icy wind howled and the sky was laden with snow clouds, but I felt warmed by the Christmas spirit.

I was a few miles from my son’s when the engine made a funny sound. It coughed, sputtered, coughed again. That doesn’t sound good. I quickly turned the wheel and pulled over to the grassy median on my left. Or tried to. I came to a stop with the rear of the car still sticking out into the fast lane.

The gas pedal didn’t respond. Then I noticed the glowing orange icon on the dashboard display, and the gas tank needle. Empty.

How could I have neglected to keep an eye on my gas gauge? Me, who didn’t need any help? Why hadn’t I listened to my children’s pleas to get a cell phone?

“Mein heilig Schutzengel,” I prayed in German. Angel of God, my guardian dear. Cars honked. Drivers were impatient to get where they were going. I got out to flag someone down. Someone slowed to warn me to get out of traffic. Another, irate, yelled, “Call the cops!” Everyone else zoomed by at 60 miles per hour.

I stood there, leaning on my cane, shaking with cold and fear, almost in tears. The sky was getting dark. They’ll be wondering where I am. Could I walk to a service station? I’d have to cross the four-lane highway at the very least. What do I do?

Just then, a gray compact car pulled up. A man behind the wheel, a woman in the passenger seat. The woman got out and hurried toward me. She was of medium height, roundly built, her oval face framed by dark, wavy hair. She seemed to shimmer, surrounded with an aura of light.

Before I could say a word about my predicament, she called to me. “Go back and sit in your car. We’ve come to help you.”

“Oh, thank you! Thank you!” I shouted. I did as she told me.

She came to my window. “You’ll be all right,” she said. “We’ll get enough gas for you to drive to a station.”

I watched the gray car drive off. After a minute, it returned, and the woman stepped out carrying a red gas can. She opened my gas cap and poured.

“How can I thank you?” I called to her. “Let me pay you for the gas.”

She shook her head.

“You’re like my guardian angel this Christmas Eve,” I said.

She laughed, finished pouring, and handed me the empty gas can. “Here, keep this in your trunk. Someday you can help someone else.” Then she leaned in the window and gave me a feather-light hug. “Merry Christmas. We’ll watch out for you as you pull back into traffic.”

I guessed everyone needed help some time, old and young alike. I started the engine and pulled into the lane. “I’m okay!” I called out, and looked back to wave good-bye. Only the gray car was gone. That’s when I wondered. How did they know gas was what I needed? I’d never told them.”²

This story brings us to today's question. What do you do when prayers are answered? When a loved one survives a car accident, or when a parent survives surgery what do you do? For the answer to this let's turn to the 116th Psalm.

1 I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. 2 Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. 3 The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow. 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Lord, save me!”

So the psalmist was near death. There was nothing the doctors could do. Death seems to be only option. But the psalmist tried one more thing, more powerful than anything the doctors have, she prayed to God.

This is what we do whenever we face hopeless situations. Whenever our health fails, or a relationship ends, or a job is terminated, we turn to God in prayer. Sometimes God allows bad things to happen to accomplish his greater purpose. But sometimes God answers our prayers. Then what do we do? How do we respond to answered prayer? The psalmist puts it this way

12 What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. 14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.

So the psalmist has promised to do three things in response to answered prayer. First, she will lift up the cup of salvation. This refers to the Passover meal when the Hebrews would remember how God had answered their prayers by freeing them from slavery in Egypt. This is what Jesus and his disciples were doing on the night before he died. So for Christians, raising the cup of salvation is what we do around this table. In communion, we remember how God redeemed us from slavery to sin. And like the psalmist, we too should respond to answered prayer by joining with others in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.

The second thing that the Psalmist promised to do is to pray in the presence of God's people. So our response to answered prayer must be to come to church where we pray for each other. That's why we have a time each Sunday to share both our joys and concerns. With our joys we can express our gratitude for what God has done for us.

And the third thing the psalmist has promised is to keep her vows. In our prayer life we not only express to God what we need, but we also pledge to be faithful followers. The proper response to answered prayer is to do what we said we would do in prayer. Fulfill our promises to God.

So there are three things that we should do when God answers our prayers. We come to church to express our gratitude in the presence of other believers. We gather with other believers around this table in communion with our Lord. And we keep our promises to God. Do these things and live a blessed life of answered prayer.

Father in heaven, we love you so much for all the prayers you have answered. We pledge to keep praying and remembering your son's sacrifice in this assembly of your people. We pray this in your sons name. Amen.

1Kimberly Long, Feasting On the Word Worship Companion (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2013), 147.

2http://www.guideposts.org/angels-on-earth/guardian-angels/aaa-angels-always-on-alert?page=full